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THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 
AND  THE  HEROES  WHO 
LIVED  BEFORE  ACHILLES 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO   •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA    •    SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO..  Limited 

LONDON    •    BOMBAY    •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OP  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


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THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 
AND  THE  HEROES  WHO 
LIVED  BEFORE  ACHILLES 

BY  PADRAIC  COLUM 
ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
WILLY   POGANT 


S 


THE  « MACMILLAN  •  C  OMPANY^NEW-YORK^ 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


Copyright,  19  21, 
By  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and'electrotyped.      Published  December,  192-. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little  &  Ives  Co. 

New  York 


J 


TO 

THE  CHILDREN  OF 
SUSAN  AND  LLEWELLYN  JONES 


O    N     T      E     N     T     S 


Part  I.    The  Voyage  to  Colchis. 

i.  The  Youth  Jason 3 

2.  King  Pelias      .          11 

3.  The  Golden  Fleece 13 

4.  The  Assembling  of  the  Heroes  and  the  Building  of 

the  Ship  . 18 

5.  The  Argo 24 

The  Beginning  of  Things 33 

6    Polydeuces'  Victory  and  Heracles'  Loss 38 

7.  King  Phineus 45 

8.  King  Phineus 's  Counsel;  the  Landing  in  Lemnos    .  52 

9.  The  Lemnian  Maidens       .     .     58 

Demeter  and  Persephone 61 

Atalanta's  Race .    .  73 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

Part  I.     Continued. 

10.  The  Departure  from  Lemnos 81 

The  Golden  Maid        83 

11.  The  Passage  of  the  Symplegades 94 

12.  The  Mountain  Caucasus 97 

Prometheus  ...          99 

Part  II.    The  Return  to  Greece. 

1.  King  iEetes 109 

2.  Medea  the  Sorceress 118 

^r  3.  The  Winning  of  the  Golden  Fleece 127 

4.  The  Slaying  of  Apsyrtus 134 

5.  Medea  Comes  to  Circe 139 

6.  In  the  Land  of  the  Phaeacians 142 

7.  They  Come  to  the  Desert  Land 14S 

8.  The  Carrying  of  the  Argo       152 

The  Story  of  Perseus       156 

9.  Near  to  Iolcus  Again 176 

Part  III.    The  Heroes  of  the  Quest. 

1.  Atalanta  the  Huntress 183 

2.  Peleus  and  His  Bride  from  the  Sea 192 

^  3.  Theseus  and  the  Minotaur 201 

4.  The  Life  and  Labors  of  Heracles 223 

The  Battle  of  the  Frogs  and  Mice 247 

5.  Admetus 258 

6.  How  Orpheus  the    Minstrel   Went   Down   to  the 

World  of  the  Dead 268 

7.  Jason  and  Medea 273 


I  L  L  H  S  TRA  T  1  ON  S 


Jason  and  Medea Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

The  Argo • 24 

Hylas 42 

Persephone  and  Aidoneus 64 

Atalanta's  Last  Race 80 

Prometheus ,....,. 102 

The  Field  of  the  Dragon's  Teeth 128 

Perseus  and  Andromeda 168 


is 


PART  I.    THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS 


I.    THE  YOUTH  JASON 

MAN  in  the  garb  of  a  slave  went  up  the 
side  of  that  mountain  that  is  all  covered 
with  forest,  the  Mountain  Pelion.  He 
carried  in  his  arms  a  little  child. 

When  it  was  full  noon  the  slave  came 
into  a  clearing  of  the  forest  so  silent  that 
it  seemed  empty  of  all  life.  He  laid  the 
child  down  on  the  soft  moss,  and  then,  trembling  with  the  fear 
of  what  might  come  before  him,  he  raised  a  horn  to  his  lips  and 
blew  three  blasts  upon  it. 

Then  he  waited.  The  blue  sky  was  above  him,  the  great  trees 
stood  away  from  him,  and  the  little  child  lay  at  his  feet.  He 
waited,  and  then  he  heard  the  thud-thud  of  great  hooves.  And 
then  from  between  the  trees  he  saw  coming  toward  him  the 
strangest  of  all  beings,  one  who  was  half  man  and  half  horse; 
this  was  Chiron  the  centaur. 

Chiron  came  toward  the  trembling  slave.  Greater  than  any 
horse  was  Chiron,  taller  than  any  man.  The  hair  of  his  head 
flowed  back  into  his  horse's  mane,  his  great  beard  flowed  over 
his  horse's  chest;  in  his  man's  hand  he  held  a  great  spear. 

3 


4  THE  GOLDEN   FLEECE 

Not  swiftly  he  came,  but  the  slave  could  see  that  in  those 
great  limbs  of  his  there  was  speed  like  to  the  wind's.  The  slave 
fell  upon  his  knees.  And  with  eyes  that  were  full  of  majesty 
and  wisdom  and  limbs  that  were  full  of  strength  and  speed,  the 
king-centaur  stood  above  him.  "O  my  lord,"  the  slave  said, 
"I  have  come  before  thee  sent  by  iEson,  my  master,  who  told 
me  where  to  come  and  what  blasts  to  blow  upon  the  horn.  And 
iEson,  once  King  of  Iolcus,  bade  me  say  to  thee  that  if  thou 
dost  remember  his  ancient  friendship  with  thee  thou  wilt,  per- 
chance, take  this  child  and  guard  and  foster  him,  and,  as  he 
grows,  instruct  him  with  thy  wisdom." 

"For  ^Eson's  sake  I  will  rear  and  foster  this  child,"  said 
Chiron  the  king-centaur  in  a  deep  voice. 

The  child  lying  on  the  moss  had  been  looking  up  at  the  four- 
footed  and  two-handed  centaur.  Now  the  slave  lifted  him  up 
and  placed  him  in  the  centaur's  arms.    He  said: 

1  'iEson  bade  me  tell  thee  that  the  child's  name  is  Jason.  He 
bade  me  give  thee  this  ring  with  the  great  ruby  in  it  that  thou 
mayst  give  it  to  the  child  when  he  is  grown.  By  this  ring  with 
its  ruby  and  the  images  engraved  on  it  ^Eson  may  know  his  son 
when  they  meet  after  many  years  and  many  changes.  And  an- 
other thing  ^Eson  bade  me  say  to  thee,  0  my  lord  Chiron:  not 
presumptuous  is  he,  but  he  knows  that  this  child  has  the  regard 
of  the  immortal  Goddess  Hera,  the  wife  of  Zeus." 

Chiron  held  iEson's  son  in  his  arms,  and  the  little  child  put 
hands  into  his  great  beard.    Then  the  centaur  said,  "Let  ^Es.on 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  5 

know  that  his  son  will  be  reared  and  fostered  by  me,  and  that, 
when  they  meet  again,  there  will  be  ways  by  which  they  will  be 
known  to  each  other." 

Saying  this  Chiron  the  centaur,  holding  the  child  in  his  arms, 
went  swift'y  toward  the  forest  arches;  then  the  slave  took  up 
the  horn  and  went  down  the  side  of  the  Mountain  Pelion. 
He  came  to  where  a  horse  was  hidden,  and  he  mounted  and 
rode,  first  to  a  city,  and  then  to  a  village  that  was  beyond  the 
city. 

All  this  was  before  the  famous  walls  of  Troy  were  built;  be- 
fore King  Priam  had  come  to  the  throne  of  his  father  and  while 
he  was  still  known,  not  as  Priam,  but  as  Podarces.  And  the 
beginning  of  all  these  happenings  was  in  Iolcus,  a  city  in 
Thessaly. 

Cretheus  founded  the  city  and  had  ruled  over  it  in  days  be- 
fore King  Priam  was  born.  He  left  two  sons,  ^Eson  and  Pelias. 
^Eson  succeeded  his  father.  And  because  he  was  a  mild  and 
gentle  man  the  men  of  war  did  not  love  ^Eson;  they  wanted  a 
hard  king  who  would  lead  them  to  conquests. 

Pelias,  the  brother  of  ^Eson,  was  ever  with  the  men  of  war; 
he  knew  what  mind  they  had  toward  JEson  and  he  plotted 
with  them  to  overthrow  his  brother.  This  they  did,  and  they 
brought  Pelias  to  reign  as  king  in  Iolcus. 

The  people  loved  ^Eson  and  they  feared  Pelias.  And  because 
the  people  loved  him  and  would  be  maddened  by  his  slaying, 


6  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

Pelias  and  the  men  of  war  left  him  living.  With  his  wife,  Al- 
cimide,  and  his  infant  son,  JEson  went  from  the  city,  and  in  a 
village  that  was  at  a  distance  from  Iolcus  he  found  a  hidden 
house  and  went  to  dwell  in  it. 

JEson  would  have  lived  content  there  were  it  not  that  he  was 
fearful  for  Jason,  his  infant  son.  Jason,  he  knew,  would  grow 
into  a  strong  and  a  bold  youth,  and  Pelias,  the  king,  would  be 
made  uneasy  on  his  account.  Pelias  would  slay  the  son,  and 
perhaps  would  slay  the  father  for  the  son's  sake  when  his  mem- 
ory would  come  to  be  less  loved  by  the  people.  ^Eson  thought 
of  such  things  in  his  hidden  house,  and  he  pondered  on  ways  to 
have  his  son  reared  away  from  Iolcus  and  the  dread  and  the 
power  of  King  Pelias. 

He  had  for  a  friend  one  who  was  the  wisest  of  all  creatures  — 
Chiron  the  centaur;  Chiron  who  was  half  man  and  half  horse; 
Chiron  who  had  lived  and  was  yet  to  live  measureless  years. 
Chiron  had  fostered  Heracles,  and  it  might  be  that  he  would 
not  refuse  to  foster  Jason,  ^son's  child. 

Away  in  the  fastnesses  of  Mount  Pelion  Chiron  dwelt;  once 
^Eson  had  been  with  him  and  had'  seen  the  centaur  hunt  with 
his  great  bow  and  his  great  spears.  And  ^Eson  knew  a  way 
that  one  might  come  to  him;  Chiron  himself  had  told  him  of  the 
way. 

Now  there  was  a  slave  in  his  house  who  had  been  a  hunts- 
man and  who  knew  all  the  ways  of  the  Mountain  Pelion.  iEson 
talked  with  this  slave  one  day,  and  after  he  had  talked  with 


THE   VOYAGE  TO   COLCHIS  7 

him  he  sat  for  a  long  time  over  the  cradle  of  his  sleeping  infant. 
And  then  he  spoke  to  Alcimide,  his  wife,  telling  her  of  a  part- 
ing that  made  her  weep.  That  evening  the  slave  came  in  and 
^Eson  took  the  child  from  the  arms  of  the  mournful-eyed 
mother  and  put  him  in  the  slave's  arms.  Also  he  gave  him  a 
horn  and  a  ring  with  a  great  ruby  in  it  and  mystic  images  en- 
graved on  its  gold.  Then  when  the  ways  were  dark  the  slave 
mounted  a  horse,  and,  with  the  child  in  his  arms,  rode  through 
the  city  that  King  Pelias  ruled  over.  In  the  morning  he  came 
to  that  mountain  that  is  all  covered  with  forest,  the  Mountain 
Pelion.  And  that  evening  he  came  back  to  the  village  and 
to  ^Eson's  hidden  house,  and  he  told  his  master  how  he  had 
prospered. 

^Eson  was  content  thereafter  although  he  was  lonely  and  al- 
though his  wife  was  lonely  in  their  childlessness.  But  the  time 
came  when  they  rejoiced  that  their  child  had  been  sent  into  an 
unreachable  place.  For  messengers  from  King  Pelias  came  in- 
quiring about  the  boy.  They  told  the  king's  messengers  that 
the  child  had  strayed  off  from  his  nurse,  and  that  whether  he 
had  been  slain  by  a  wild  beast  or  had  been  drowned  in  the  swift 
River  Anaurus  they  did  not  know. 

The  years  went  by  and  Pelias  felt  secure  upon  the  throne  he 
had  taken  from  his  brother.  Once  he  sent  to  the  oracle  of  the 
gods  to  ask  of  it  whether  he  should  be  fearful  of  anything. 
What  the  oracle  answered  was  this:  that  King  Pelias  had  but 
one  thing  J.  o  dread  —  the  coming  of  a  half-shod  man. 


8  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

The  centaur  nourished  the  child  Jason  on  roots  and  fruits 
and  honey;  for  shelter  they  had  a  great  cave  that  Chiron  had 
lived  in  for  numberless  years.  When  he  had  grown  big  enough 
to  leave  the  cave  Chiron  would  let  Jason  mount  on  his  back; 
with  the  child  holding  on  to  his  great  mane  he  would  trot  gently 
through  the  ways  of  the  forest. 

Jason  began  to  know  the  creatures  of  the  forest  and  their 
haunts.  Sometimes  Chiron  would  bring  his  great  bow  with  him; 
then  Jason,  on  his  back,  would  hold  the  quiver  and  would  hand 
him  the  arrows.  The  centaur  would  let  the  boy  see  him  kill 
with  a  single  arrow  the  bear,  the  boar,  or  the  deer.  And  soon 
Jason,  running  beside  him,  hunted  too. 

No  heroes  were  ever  better  trained  than  those  whose  child- 
hood and  youth  had  been  spent  with  Chiron  the  king-centaur. 
He  made  them  more  swift  of  foot  than  any  other  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  He  made  them  stronger  and  more  ready  with  the 
spear  and  bow.  Jason  was  trained  by  Chiron  as  Heracles  just 
before  him  had  been  trained,  and  as  Achilles  was  to  be  trained 
afterward. 

Moreover,  Chiron  taught  him  the  knowledge  of  the  stars  and 
the  wisdom  that  had  to  do  with  the  ways  of  the  gods. 

Once,  when  they  were  hunting  together,  Jason  saw  a  form  at 
the  end  of  an  alley  of  trees  —  the  form  of  a  woman  it  was  —  of 
a  woman  who  had  on  her  head  a  shining  crown.  Never  had 
Jason  dreamt  of  seeing  a  form  so  wondrous.  Not  very  near  did 
he  come,  but  he  thought  he  knew  that  the  woman  smiled  upon 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  9 

him.    She  was  seen  no  more,  and  Jason  knew  that  he  had  looked 
upon  one  of  the  immortal  goddesses. 

All  day  Jason  was  rilled  with  thought  of  her  whom  he  had  seen. 
At  night,  when  the  stars  were  out,  and  when  they  were  seated  out- 
side the  cave,  Chiron  and  Jason  talked  together,  and  Chiron  told 
the  youth  that  she  whom  he  had  seen  was  none  other  than  Hera, 
the  wife  of  Zeus,  who  had  for  his  father  ^Eson  and  for  himself 
an  especial  friendliness. 

So  Jason  grew  up  upon  the  mountain  and  in  the  forest  fast- 
nesses. When  he  had  reached  his  full  height  and  had  shown  him- 
self swift  in  the  hunt  and  strong  with  the  spear  and  bow,  Chiron 
told  him  that  the  time  had  come  when  he  should  go  back  to  the 
world  of  men  and  make  his  name  famous  by  the  doing  of  great 
deeds. 

And  when  Chirori  told  him  about  his  father  ^Eson  —  about 
how  he  had  been  thrust  out  of  the  kingship  by  Pelias,  his  uncle  — 
a  great  longing  came  upon  Jason  to  see  his  father  and  a  fierce 
anger  grew  up  in  his  heart  against  Pelias. 

Then  the  time  came  when  he  bade  good-by  to  Chiron  his 
great  instructor;  the  time  came  when  he  went  from  the  centaur's 
cave  for  the  last  time,  and  went  through  the  wooded  ways  and 
down  the  side  of  the  Mountain  Pelion.  He  came  to  the  river, 
to  the  swift  Anaurus,  and  he  found  it  high  in  flood.  The  stones 
by  which  one  might  cross  were  almost  all  washed  over;  far  apart 
did  they  seem  in  the  flood. 

Now  as  he  stood  there  pondering  on  what  he  might  do  there 


to  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

came  up  to  him  an  old  woman  who  had  on  her  back  a  load  of 
brushwood.  "Wouldst  thou  cross?"  asked  the  old  woman. 
"Wouldst  thou  cross  and  get  thee  to  the  city  of  Iolcus,  Jason, 
where  so  many  things  await  thee?  " 

Greatly  was  the  youth  astonished  to  hear  his  name  spoken  by 
this  old  woman,  and  to  hear  her  give  the  name  of  the  city  he  was 
bound  for.  "  Wouldst  thou  cross  the  Anaurus?  "  she  asked  again. 
"Then  mount  upon  my  back,  holding  on  to  the  wood  I  carry,  and 
I  will  bear  thee  over  the  river. " 

Jason  smiled.  How  foolish  this  old  woman  was  to  think  that 
she  could  bear  him  across  the  flooded  river !  She  came  near  him 
and  she  took  him  in  her  arms  and  lifted  him  up  on  her  shoulders. 
Then,  before  he  knew  what  she  was  about  to  do,  she  had  stepped 
into  the  water. 

From  stone  to  stepping-stone  she  went,  Jason  holding  on  to 
the  wood  that  she  had  drawn  to  her  shoulders.  She  left  him 
down  upon  the  bank.  As  she  was  lifting  him  down  one  of 
his  feet  touched  the  water;  the  swift  current  swept  away  a 
sandal. 

He  stood  on  the  bank  knowing  that  she  who  had  carried  him 
across  the  flooded  river  had  strength  from  the  gods.  He  looked 
upon  her,  and  behold!  she  was  transformed.  Instead  of  an  old 
woman  there  stood  before  him  one  who  had  on  a  golden  robe  and 
a  shining  crown.  Around  her  was  a  wondrous  light  —  the  light 
of  the  sun  when  it  is  most  golden.  Then  Jason  knew  that  she 
who  had  carried  him  across  the  broad  Anaurus  was  the  goddess 


THE   VOYAGE   TO   COLCHIS  n 

whom  he  had  seen  in  the  ways  of  the  forest  —  Hera,  great  Zeus's 
wife. 

"Go  into  Iolcus,  Jason,"  said  great  Hera  to  him,  "go  into 
Iolcus,  and  in  whatever  chance  doth  befall  thee  act  as  one  who 
has  the  eyes  of  the  immortals  upon  him. " 

She  spoke  and  she  was  seen  no  more.  Then  Jason  went  on  his 
way  to  the  city  that  Cretheus,  his  grandfather,  had  founded  and 
that  his  father  ^Eson  had  once  ruled  over.  He  came  into  that 
city,  a  tall,  great-limbed,  unknown  youth,  dressed  in  a  strange 
fashion,  and  having  but  one  sandal  on. 

II.    KING  PELIAS 

HAT  day  King  Pelias,  walking   through 
the  streets  of  his  city,  saw  coming  toward 
him  a  youth  who  was  half  shod.     He  re- 
membered the  words  of  the  oracle    that 
bade  him  beware  of  a  half-shod  man,  and 
straightway  he  gave  orders  to  his  guards  to 
lay  hands  upon  the  youth. 
But  the  guards  wavered  when  they  went  toward  him,  for  there 
was  something  about  the  youth  that  put  them  in  awe  of  him. 
He  came  with  the  guards,  however,  and  he  stood  before  the  king's 
judgment  seat. 

Fearfully  did  Pelias  look  upon  him.  But  not  fearfully  did  the 
youth  look  upon  the  king.     With  head  lifted  high  he  cried  out, 


12  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

"Thou  art  Pelias,  but  I  do  not  salute  thee  as  king.  Know  that 
I  am  Jason,  the  son  of  iEson  from  whom  thou  hast  taken  the 
throne  and  scepter  that  were  rightfully  his. " 

King  Pelias  looked  to  his  guards.  He  would  have  given  them 
a  sign  to  destroy  the  youth's  life  with  their  spears,  but  behind  his 
guards  he  saw  a  threatening  multitude  —  the  dwellers  of  the  city 
of  Iolcus;  they  gathered  around,  and  Pelias  knew  that  he  had 
become  more  and  more  hated  by  them.  And  from  the  multitude 
a  cry  went  up,  "^Eson,  ^Eson!  May  JEson.  come  back  to  us! 
Jason,  son  of  JEson  !   May  nothing  evil  befall  thee,  brave  youth ! " 

Then  Pelias  knew  that  the  youth  might  not  be  slain.  He  bent 
his  head  while  he  plotted  against  him  in  his  heart.  Then  he  raised 
his  eyes,  and  looking  upon  Jason  he  said,  "  0  goodly  youth,  it  well 
may  be  that  thou  art  the  son  of  iEson,  my  brother.  I  am  well 
pleased  to  see  thee  here.  I  have  had  hopes  that  I  might  be 
friends  with  ^Eson,  and  thy  coming  here  may  be  the  means  to  the 
renewal  of  our  friendship.  We  two  brothers  may  come  together 
again.  I  will  send  for  thy  father  now,  and  he  will  be  brought  to 
meet  thee  in  my  royal  palace.  Go  with  my  guards  and  with  this 
rejoicing  people,  and  in  a  little  while  thou  and  I  and  thy  father 
JEson  will  sit  at  a  feast  of  friends.' ' 

So  Pelias  said,  and  Jason  went  with  the  guards  and  the  crowd 
of  people,  and  he  came  to  the  palace  of  the  king  and  he  was 
brought  within.  The  maids  led  him  to  the  bath  and  gave  him 
new  robes  to  wear.   Dressed  in  these  Jason  looked  a  prince  indeed. 

But  all  that  while  King  Pelias  remained  on  his  judgment  seat 


THE  VOYAGE   TO   COLCHIS  13 

with  his  crowned  head  bent  down.  When  he  raised  his  head 
his  dark  brows  were  gathered  together  and  his  thin  lips  were 
very  close.  He  looked  to  the  swords  and  spears  of  his  guards, 
and  he  made  a  sign  to  the  men  to  stand  close  to  him.  Then  he 
left  the  judgment  seat  and  he  went  to  the  palace. 

III.    THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

[EY  brought  Jason  into  a  hall  where  ^Eson, 
his  father,  waited.  Very  strange  did  this 
old  and  grave-looking  man  appear  to  him. 
But  when  JEson  spoke,  Jason  remembered 
the  tone  of  his  father's  voice  and  he  clasped 
him  to  him.  And  his  father  knew  him 
even  without  the  sight  of  the  ruby  ring 
which  Jason  had  upon  his  finger. 

Then  the  young  man  began  to  tell  of  the  centaur  and  of  his  life 
upon  the  Mountain  Pelion.  As  they  were  speaking  together 
Pelias  came  to  where  they  stood,  Pelias  in  the  purple  robe  of  a 
king  and  with  the  crown  upon  his  head.  ^Eson  tightly  clasped 
Jason  as  if  he  had  become  fearful  for  his  son.  Pelias  smilingly 
took  the  hand  of  the  young  man  and  the  hand  of  his  brother, 
and  he  bade  them  both  welcome  to  his  palace. 

Then,  walking  between  them,  the  king  brought  the  two  into 
the  feasting  hall.  The  youth  who  had  known  only  the  forest  and 
the  mountainside  had  to  wonder  at  the  beauty  and  the  magnifi- 


14  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

cence  of  all  he  saw  around  him.  On  the  walls  were  bright 
pictures;  the  tables  were  of  polished  wood,  and  they  had  vessels 
of  gold  and  dishes  of  silver  set  upon  them;  along  the  walls  were 
vases  of  lovely  shapes  and  colors,  and  everywhere  there  were 
baskets  heaped  with  roses  white  and  red. 

The  king's  guests  were  already  in  the  hall,  young  men  and 
elders,  and  maidens  went  amongst  them  carrying  roses  which  they 
strung  into  wreaths  for  the  guests  to  put  upon  their  heads.  A 
soft-handed  maiden  gave  Jason  a  wreath  of  roses  and  he  put  it  on 
his  head  as  he  sat  down  at  the  king's  table.  When  he  looked 
at  all  the  rich  and  lovely  things  in  that  hall,  and  when  he  saw  the 
guests  looking  at  him  with  friendly  eyes,  Jason  felt  that  he  was 
indeed  far  away  from  the  dim  spaces  of  the  mountain  forest  and 
from  the  darkness  of  the  centaur's  cave. 

Rich  food  and  wine  such  as  he  had  never  dreamt  of  tasting 
were  brought  to  the  tables.  He  ate  and  drank,  and  his  eyes  fol- 
lowed the  fair  maidens  who  went  through  the  hall.  He  thought 
how  glorious  it  was  to  be  a  king.  He  heard  Pelias  speak  to  iEson, 
his  father,  telling  him  that  he  was  old  and  that  he  was  weary  of 
ruling;  that  he  longed  to  make  friends,  and  that  he  would  let  no 
enmity  now  be  between  him  and  his  brother.  And  he  heard  the 
king  say  that  he,  Jason,  was  young  and  courageous,  and  that  he 
would  call  upon  him  to  help  to  rule  the  land,  and  that,  in  a  while, 
Jason  would  bear  full  sway  over  the  kingdom  that  Cretheus  had 
founded. 

So  Pelias  spoke  to  JEson  as  they  both  sat  together  at  the  king's 


THE  VOYAGE  TO   COLCHIS  15 

high  table.  But  Jason,  looking  on  them  both,  saw  that  the  eyes 
that  his  father  turned  on  him  were  full  of  warnings  and  mistrust. 

After  they  had  eaten  King  Pelias  made  a  sign,  and  a  cup- 
bearer bringing  a  richly  wrought  cup  came  and  stood  before  the 
king.  The  king  stood  up,  holding  the  cup  in  his  hands,  and  all 
in  the  hall  waited  silently.  Then  Pelias  put  the  cup  into  Jason's 
hands  and  he  cried  out  in  a  voice  that  was  heard  all  through  the 
hall,  "Drink  from  this  cup,  O  nephew  Jason!  Drink  from  this 
cup,  O  man  who  will  soon  come  to  rule  over  the  kingdom  that 
Cretheus  founded!" 

All  in  the  hall  stood  up  and  shouted  with  delight  at  that  speech. 
But  the  king  was  not  delighted  with  their  delight,  Jason  saw.  He 
took  the  cup  and  he  drank  the  rich  wine;  pride  grew  in  him; 
he  looked  down  the  hall  and  he  saw  faces  all  friendly  to  him;  he 
felt  as  a  king  might  feel,  secure  and  triumphant.  And  then  he 
heard  King  Pelias  speaking  once  more. 

"This  is  my  nephew  Jason,  reared  and  fostered  in  the  centaur's 
cave.  He  will  tell  you  of  his  lif e  in  the  forest  and  the  mountains  — 
his  life  that  was  like  to  the  life  of  the  half  gods. " 

Then  Jason  spoke  to  them,  telling  them  of  his  life  on  the 
Mountain  Pelion.    When  he  had  spoken,  Pelias  said: 

"I  was  bidden  by  the  oracle  to  beware  of  the  man  whom  I 
should  see  coming  toward  me  half  shod.  But,  as  you  all  see,  I 
have  brought  the  half -shod  man  to  my  palace  and  my  feasting 
hall,  so  little  do  I  dread  the  anger  of  the  gods. 

"And  I  dread  it  little  because  I  am  blameless.    This  youth,  the 


16  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

son  of  my  brother,  is  strong  and  courageous,  and  I  rejoice  in 
his  strength  and  courage,  for  I  would  have  him  take  my  place  and 
reign  over  you.  Ah,  that  I  were  as  young  as  he  is  now !  Ah,  that 
I  had  been  reared  and  fostered  as  he  was  reared  and  fostered  by 
the  wise  centaur  and  under  the  eyes  of  the  immortals!  Then 
would  I  do  that  which  in  my  youth  I  often  dreamed  of  doing! 
Then  would  I  perform  a  deed  that  would  make  my  name  and  the 
name  of  my  city  famous  throughout  all  Greece!  Then  would  I 
bring  from  far  Colchis,  the  famous  Fleece  of  Gold  that  King 
^Eetes keeps  guard  over!" 

He  finished  speaking,  and  all  in  the  hall  shouted  out,  "The 
Golden  Fleece,  the  Golden  Fleece  from  Colchis!"  Jason  stood 
up,  and  his  father's  hand  gripped  him.  But  he  did  not  heed  the 
hold  of  his  father's  hand,  for  "The  Golden  Fleece,  the  Golden 
Fleece!"  rang  in  his  ears,  and  before  his  eyes  were  the  faces  of 
those  who  were  all  eager  for  the  sight  of  the  wonder  that  King 
JEetes  kept  guard  over. 

Then  said  Jason,  "Thou  hast  spoken  well,  0  King  Pelias! 
Know,  and  know  all  here  assembled,  that  I  have  heard  of  the 
Golden  Fleece  and  of  the  dangers  that  await  on  any  one  who 
should  strive  to  win  it  from  King  ^Eetes's  care.  But  know,  too, 
that  I  would  strive  to  win  the  Fleece  and  bring  it  to  Iolcus,  win- 
ning fame  both  for  myself  and  for  the  city." 

When  he  had  spoken  he  saw  his  father's  stricken  eyes;  they 
were  fixed  upon  him.  But  he  looked  from  them  to  the  shining 
eyes  of  the  young  men  who  were  even  then  pressing   around 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  17 

where  he  stood.    "Jason,  Jason!"  they  shouted.    "The  Golden 
Fleece  for  Iolcus!" 

"King  Pelias  knows  that  the  winning  of  the  Golden  Fleece  is 
a  feat  most  difficult, "  said  Jason.  "But  if  he  will  have  built  for 
me  a  ship  that  can  make  the  voyage  to  far  Colchis,  and  if  he  will 
send  throughout  all  Greece  the  word  of  my  adventuring  so  that 
all  the  heroes  who  would  win  fame  might  come  with  me,  and  if 
ye,  young  heroes  of  Iolcus,  will  come  with  me,  I  will  peril  my  life 
to  win  the  wonder  that  King  ^Eetes  keeps  guard  over." 

He  spoke  and  those  in  the  hall  shouted  again  and  made  clamor 
around  him.  But  still  his  father  sat  gazing  at  him  with  stricken 
eyes. 

King  Pelias  stood  up  in  the  hall  and  holding  up  his  scepter  he 
said,  "O  my  nephew  Jason,  and  O  friends  assembled  here,  I 
promise  that  I  will  have  built  for  the  voyage  the  best  ship  that 
ever  sailed  from  a  harbor  in  Greece.  And  I  promise  that  I  will 
send  throughout  all  Greece  a  word  telling  of  Jason's  voyage  so 
that  all  heroes  desirous  of  winning  fame  may  come  to  help  him 
and  to  help  all  of  you  who  may  go  with  him  to  win  from  the 
keeping  of  King  ^Eetes  the  famous  Fleece  of  Gold. " 

So  King  Pelias  said,  but  Jason,  looking  to  the  king  from  his 
father's  stricken  eyes,  saw  that  he  had  been  led  by  the  king  into 
the  acceptance  of  the  voyage  so  that  he  might  fare  far  from 
Iolcus,  and  perhaps  lose  his  life  in  striving  to  gain  the  wonder 
that  King  ^Eetes  kept  guarded.  By  the  glitter  in  Pelias's  eyes  he 
knew  the  truth.    Nevertheless  Jason  would  not  take  back  one 


1 8  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

word  that  he  had  spoken;  his  heart  was  strong  within  him,  and 
he  thought  that  with  the  help  of  the  bright-eyed  youths  around 
and  with  the  help  of  those  who  would  come  to  him  at  the  word 
of  the  voyage,  he  would  bring  the  Golden  Fleece  to  Iolcus  and 
make  famous  for  all  time  his  own  name. 

IV.    THE  ASSEMBLING  OF  THE  HEROES  AND 
THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  SHIP 

^IRST  there  came  the  youths  Castor  and 
Polydeuces.  They  came  riding  on  white 
horses,  two  noble-looking  brothers.  From 
Sparta  they  came,  and  their  mother  was 
Leda,  who,  after  the  twin  brothers,  had 
another  child  born  to  her  —  Helen,  for 
whose  sake  the  sons  of  many  of  Jason's 
friends  were  to  wage  war  against  the  great  city  of  Troy.  These 
were  the  first  heroes  who  came  to  Iolcus  after  the  word  had  gone 
forth  through  Greece  of  Jason's  adventuring  in  quest  of  the 
Golden  Fleece. 

And  then  there  came  one  who  had  both  welcome  and  reverence 
from  Jason;  this  one  came  without  spear  or  bow,  bearing  in  his 
hands  a  lyre  only.  He  was  Orpheus,  and  he  knew  all  the  ways 
of  the  gods  and  all  the  stories  of  the  gods;  when  he  sang  to  his 
lyre  the  trees  would  listen  and  the  beasts  would  follow  him.  It 
was  Chiron  who  had  counseled  Orpheus  to  go  with  Jason;  Chiron 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  19 

the  centaur  had  met  him  as  he  was  wandering  through  the  forests 
on  the  Mountain  Pelion  and  had  sent  him  down  into  Iolcus. 

Then  there  came  two  men  well  skilled  in  the  handling  of  ships 
—  Tiphys  and  Nauplius.  Tiphys  knew  all  about  the  sun  and 
winds  and  stars,  and  all  about  the  signs  by  which  a  ship  might 
be  steered,  and  Nauplius  had  the  love  of  Poseidon,  the  god  of  the 
sea. 

Afterward  there  came,  one  after  the  other,  two  who  were 
famous  for  their  hunting.  No  two  could  be  more  different  than 
these  two  were.  The  first  was  Arc  as.  He  was  dressed  in  the 
skin  of  a  bear;  he  had  red  hair  and  savage-looking  eyes,  and  for 
arms  he  carried  a  mighty  bow  with  bronze-tipped  arrows.  The 
folk  were  watching  an  eagle  as  he  came  into  the  city  —  an  eagle 
that  was  winging  its  way  far,  far  up  in  the  sky.  Areas  drew  his 
bow,  and  with  one  arrow  he  brought  the  eagle  down. 

The  other  hunter  was  a  girl,  Atalanta.  Tall  and  bright- 
haired  was  Atalanta,  swift  and  good  with  the  bow.  She  had 
dedicated  herself  to  Artemis,  the  guardian  of  the  wild  things,  and 
she  had  vowed  that  she  would  remain  un wedded.  All  the  heroes 
welcomed  Atalanta  as  a  comrade,  and  the  maiden  did  all  the 
things  that  the  young  men  did. 

There  came  a  hero  who  was  less  youthful  than  Castor  or  Poly- 
deuces  ;  he  was  a  man  good  in  council  named  Nestor.  Afterward 
Nestor  went  to  the  war  against  Troy,  and  then  he  was  the  oldest 
of  the  heroes  in  the  camp  of  Agamemnon. 

Two  brothers  came  who  were  to  be  special  friends  of  Jason's  — 


20  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Peleus  and  Telamon.  Both  were  still  youthful  and  neither  had 
yet  achieved  any  notable  deed.  Afterward  they  were  to  be 
famous,  but  their  sons  were  to  be  even  more  famous,  for  the  son 
of  Telamon  was  strong  Aias,  and  the  son  of  Peleus  was  great 
Achilles. 

Another  who  came  was  Admetus;  afterward  he  became  a 
famous  king.  The  God  Apollo  once  made  himself  a  shepherd 
and  he  kept  the  flocks  of  King  Admetus. 

And  there  came  two  brothers,  twins,  who  were  a  wonder  to 
all  who  beheld  them.  Zetes  and  Calais  they  were  named;  their 
mother  was  Oreithyia,  the  daughter  of  Erechtheus,  King  of 
Athens,  and  their  father  was  Boreas,  the  North  Wind.  These 
two  brothers  had  on  their  ankles  wings  that  gleamed  with  golden 
scales;  their  black  hair  was  thick  upon  their  shoulders,  and  it  was 
always  being  shaken  by  the  wind. 

With  Zetes  and  Calais  there  came  a  youth  armed  with  a  great 
sword  whose  name  was  Theseus.  Theseus 's  father  was  an  un- 
known king;  he  had  bidden  the  mother  show  their  son  where  his 
sword  was  hidden.  Under  a  great  stone  the  king  had  hidden  it 
before  Theseus  was  born.  Before  he  had  grown  out  of  his  boy- 
hood Theseus  had  been  able  to  raise  the  stone  and  draw  forth 
his  father's  sword.  As  yet  he  had  done  no  great  deed,  but  he 
was  resolved  to  win  fame  and  to  find  his  unknown  father. 

On  the  day  that  the  messengers  had  set  out  to  bring  through 
Greece  the  word  of  Jason's  going  forth  in  quest  of  the  Golden 


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L rt     Kv 

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THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  21 

Fleece  the  woodcutters  made  their  way  up  into  the  forests  of 
Mount  Pelion;  they  began  to  fell  trees  for  the  timbers  of  the  ship 
that  was  to  make  the  voyage  to  far  Colchis. 

Great  timbers  were  cut  and  brought  down  to  Pagasae,  the 
habor  of  Iolcus.  On  the  night  of  the  day  he  had  helped  to  bring 
them  down  Jason  had  a  dream.  He  dreamt  that  She  whom  he 
had  seen  in  the  forest  ways  and  afterward  by  the  River  Anaurus 
appeared  to  him.  And  in  his  dream  the  goddess  bade  him  rise 
early  in  the  morning  and  welcome  a  man  whom  he  would  meet 
at  the  city's  gate  —  a  tall  and  gray-haired  man  who  would  have 
on  his  shoulders  tools  for  the  building  of  a  ship. 

He  went  to  the  city's  gate  and  he  met  such  a  man.  Argus  was 
his  name.  He  told  Jason  that  a  dream  had  sent  him  to  the  city 
of  Iolcus.  Jason  welcomed  him  and  lodged  him  in  the  king's 
palace,  and  that  day  the  word  went  through  the  city  that  the 
building  of  the  great  ship  would  soon  be  begun. 

But  not  with  the  timbers  brought  from  Mount  Pelion  did 
Argus  begin.  Walking  through  the  palace  with  Jason  he  noted  a 
great  beam  in  the  roof.  That  beam,  he  said,  had  been  shown  him 
in  his  dream;  it  was  from  an  oak  tree  in  Dodona,  the  grove  of 
Zeus.  A  sacred  power  was  in  the  beam,  and  from  it  the  prow  of 
the  ship  should  be  fashioned.  Jason  had  them  take  the  beam 
from  the  roof  of  the  palace;  it  was  brought  to  where  the  timbers 
were,  and  that  day  the  building  of  the  great  ship  was  begun. 

Then  all  along  the  waterside  came  the  noise  of  hammering;  in 
the  street  where  the  metalworkers  were  came  the  noise  of  beating 


22  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

upon  metals  as  the  smiths  fashioned  out  of  bronze  armor  for  the 
heroes  and  swords  and  spears.  Every  day,  under  the  eyes  of 
Argus  the  master,  the  ship  that  had  in  it  the  beam  from  Zeus's 
grove  was  built  higher  and  wider.  And  those  who  were  building 
the  ship  often  felt  going  through  it  tremors  as  of  a  living 
creature. 

When  the  ship  was  built  and  made  ready  for  the  voyage  a  name 
was  given  to  it  —  the  Argo  it  was  called.  And  naming  them- 
selves from  the  ship  the  heroes  called  themselves  the  Argonauts. 
All  was  ready  for  the  voyage,  and  now  Jason  went  with  his 
friends  to  view  the  ship  before  she  was  brought  into  the  water. 

Argus  the  master  was  on  the  ship,  seeing  to  it  that  the  last 
things  were  being  done  before  Argo  was  launched.  Very  grave 
and  wise  looked  Argus  —  Argus  the  builder  of  the  ship.  And 
wonderful  to  the  heroes  the  ship  looked  now  that  Argus,  for  their 
viewing,  had  set  up  the  mast  with  the  sails  and  had  even  put  the 
oars  in  their  places.  Wonderful  to  the  heroes  Argo  looked  with 
her  long  oars  and  her  high  sails,  with  her  timbers  painted  red 
and  gold  and  blue,  and  with  a  marvelous  figure  carved  upon  her 
prow.  All  over  the  ship  Jason's  eyes  went.  He  saw  a  figure 
standing  by  the  mast;  for  a  moment  he  looked  on  it,  and  then 
the  figure  became  shadowy.  But  Jason  knew  that  he  had  looked 
upon  the  goddess  whom  he  had  seen  in  the  ways  of  the  forest  and 
had  seen  afterward  by  the  rough  Anaurus. 

Then  mast  and  sails  were  taken  down  and  the  oars  were  left  in 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  23 

the  ship,  and  the  Argo  was  launched  into  the  water.  The  heroes 
went  back  to  the  palace  of  King  Pelias  to  feast  with  the  king's 
guests  before  they  took  their  places  on  the  ship,  setting  out  on 
the  voyage  to  far  Colchis. 

When  they  came  into  the  palace  they  saw  that  another  hero 
had  arrived.  His  shield  was  hung  in  the  hall;  the  heroes  all 
gathered  around,  amazed  at  the  size  and  the  beauty  of  it.  The 
shield  shone  all  over  with  gold.  In  its  center  was  the  figure  of 
Fear  —  of  Fear  that  stared  backward  with  eyes  burning  as  with 
fire.  The  mouth  was  open  and  the  teeth  were  shown.  And  other 
figures  were  wrought  around  the  figure  of  Fear  —  Strife  and  Pur- 
suit and  Flight;  Tumult  and  Panic  and  Slaughter.  The  figure 
of  Fate  was  there  dragging  a  dead  man  by  the  feet;  on  her 
shoulders  Fate  had  a  garment  that  was  red  with  the  blood  of  men. 

Around  these  figures  were  heads  of  snakes,  heads  with  black 
jaws  and  glittering  eyes,  twelve  heads  such  as  might  affright  any 
man.  And  on  other  parts  of  the  shield  were  shown  the  horses  of 
Ares,  the  grim  god  of  war.  The  figure  of  Ares  himself  was 
shown  also.  He  held  a  spear  in  his  hand,  and  he  was  urging  the 
warriors  on. 

Around  the  inner  rim  of  the  shield  the  sea  was  shown,  wrought 
in  white  metal.  Dolphins  swam  in  the  sea,  fishing  for  little  fishes 
that  were  shown  there  in  bronze.  Around  the  rim  chariots  were 
racing  along  with  wheels  running  close  together;  there  were  men 
fighting  and  women  watching  from  high  towers.  The  awful  fig- 
ure of  the  Darkness  of  Death  was  shown  there,  too,  with  mournful 


24  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

eyes  and  the  dust  of  battles  upon  her  shoulders.  The  outer  rim 
of  the  shield  showed  the  Stream  of  Ocean,  the  stream  that  en- 
circles the  world;  swans  were  soaring  above  and  swimming  on 
its  surface. 

All  in  wonder  the  heroes  gazed  on  the  great  shield,  telling  each 
other  that  only  one  man  in  all  the  world  could  carry  it  —  Heracles 
the  son  of  Zeus.  Could  it  be  that  Heracles  had  come  amongst 
them?  They  went  into  the  feasting  hall  and  they  saw  one  there 
who  was  tall  as  a  pine  tree,  with  unshorn  tresses  of  hair  upon  his 
head.  Heracles  indeed  it  was !  He  turned  to  them  a  smiling  face 
with  smiling  eyes.  Heracles!  They  all  gathered  around  the 
strongest  hero  in  the  world,  and  he  took  the  hand  of  each  in  his 
mighty  hand. 

V.    THE  ARGO 

HE  heroes  went  the  next  day  through  the 
streets  of  Iolcus  down  to  where  the  ship 
lay.  The  ways  they  went  through  were 
crowded;  the  heroes  were  splendid  in 
their  appearance,  and  Jason  amongst 
them  shone  like  a  star. 
The  people  praised  him,  and  one  told 
the  other  that  it  would  not  be  long  until  they  would  win  back  to 
Iolcus,  for  this  band  of  heroes  was  strong  enough,  they  said,  to 
take  King  ^Eetes's  city  and  force  him  to  give  up  to  them  the 
famous  Fleece  of  Gold.  Many  of  the  bright-eyed  youths  of  Iolcus 


rt 


u 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  25 

went  with  the  heroes  who  had  come  from  the  different  parts  of 
Greece. 

As  they  marched  past  a  temple  a  priestess  came  forth  to  speak 
to  Jason;  Iphias  was  her  name.  She  had  a  prophecy  to  utter 
about  the  voyage.  But  Iphias  was  very  old,  and  she  stammered 
in  her  speech  to  Jason.  What  she  said  was  not  heard  by  him. 
The  heroes  went  on,  and  ancient  Iphias  was  left  standing  there 
as  the  old  are  left  by  the  young. 

The  heroes  went  aboard  the  Argo.  They  took  their  seats  as  at 
an  assembly.    Then  Jason  faced  them  and  spoke  to  them  all. 

" Heroes  of  the  quest,"  said  Jason,  "we  have  come  aboard 
the  great  ship  that  Argus  has  built,  and  all  that  a  ship  needs  is 
in  its  place  or  is  ready  to  our  hands.  All  that  we  wait  for  now  is 
the  coming  of  the  morning's  breeze  that  will  set  us  on  our  way 
for  far  Colchis. 

"One  thing  we  have  first  to  do  —  that  is,  to  choose  a  leader 
who  will  direct  us  all,  one  who  will  settle  disputes  amongst  our- 
selves and  who  will  make  treaties  between  us  and  the  strangers 
that  we  come  amongst.    We  must  choose  such  a  leader  now." 

Jason  spoke,  and  some  looked  to  him  and  some  looked  to 
Heracles.  But  Heracles  stood  up,  and,  stretching  out  his  hand, 
said: 

"Argonauts!  Let  no  one  amongst  you  offer  the  leadership  to 
me.  I  will  not  take  it.  The  hero  who  brought  us  together  and 
made  all  things  ready  for  our  going  —  it  is  he  and  no  one  else  who 
should  be  our  leader  in  this  voyage." 


26  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

So  Heracles  said,  and  the  Argonauts  all  stood  up  and  raised  a 
cry  for  Jason.  Then  Jason  stepped  forward,  and  he  took  the  hand 
of  each  Argonaut  in  his  hand,  and  he  swore  that  he  would  lead 
them  with  all  the  mind  and  all  the  courage  that  he  possessed. 
And  he  prayed  the  gods  that  it  would  be  given  to  him  to  lead 
them  back  safely  with  the  Golden  Fleece  glittering  on  the  mast 
of  the  Ar go. 

They  drew  lots  for  the  benches  they  would  sit  at;  they  took 
the  places  that  for  the  length  of  the  voyage  they  would  have  on 
the  ship.  They  made  sacrifice  to  the  gods  and  they  waited  for 
the  breeze  of  the  morning  that  would  help  them  away  from  Iolcus. 

And  while  they  waited  ^Eson,  the  father  of  Jason,  sat  at  his 
own  hearth,  bowed  and  silent  in  his  grief.  Alcimide,  his  wife, 
sat  near  him,  but  she  was  not  silent;  she  lamented  to  the  women 
of  Iolcus  who  were  gathered  around  her.  "I  did  not  go  down  to 
the  ship,"  she  said,  "for  with  my  grief  I  would  not  be  a  bird  of 
ill  omen  for  the  voyage.  By  this  hearth  my  son  took  farewell  of 
me  —  the  only  son  I  ever  bore.  From  the  doorway  I  watched 
him  go  down  the  street  of  the  city,  and  I  heard  the  people  shout 
as  he  went  amongst  them,  they  glorying  in  my  son's  splendid  ap- 
pearance. Ah,  that  I  might  live  to  see  his  return  and  to  hear  the 
shout  that  will  go  up  when  the  people  look  on  Jason  again !  But 
I  know  that  my  life  will  not  be  spared  so  long;  I  will  not  look  on 
my  son  when  he  comes  back  from  the  dangers  he  will  run  in  the 
quest  of  the  Golden  Fleece." 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  27 

Then  the  women  of  Iolcus  asked  her  to  tell  them  of  the  Golden 
Fleece,  and  Alcimide  told  them  of  it  and  of  the  sorrows  that 
were  upon  the  race  of  Mollis. 

Cretheus,  the  father  of  ^Eson  and  Pelias,  was  of  the  race  of 
Mollis,  and  of  the  race  of  ^Eolus,  too,  was  Athamas,  the  king  who 
ruled  in  Thebes  at  the  same  time  that  Cretheus  ruled  in  Iolcus. 
And  the  first  children  of  Athamas  were  Phrixus  and  Helle. 

"Ah,  Phrixus  and  ah,  Helle,"  Alcimide  lamented,  "what 
griefs  you  have  brought  on  the  race  of  ^Eolus !  And  what  griefs 
you  yourselves  suffered!  The  evil  that  Athamas,  your  father, 
did  you  lives  to  be  a  curse  to  the  line  of  ^Eolus ! 

"Athamas  was  wedded  first  to  Nephele,  the  mother  of  Phrixus 
and  Helle,  the  youth  and  maiden.  But  Athamas  married  again 
while  the  mother  of  these  children  was  still  living,  and  Ino,  the 
new  queen,  drove  Nephele  and  her  children  out  of  the  king's 
palace. 

"And  now  was  Nephele  most  unhappy.  She  had  to  live  as  a 
servant,  and  her  children  were  servants  to  the  servants  of  the 
palace.  They  were  clad  in  rags  and  had  little  to  eat,  and  they 
were  beaten  often  by  the  servants  who  wished  to  win  the  favor 
of  the  new  queen. 

"But  although  they  wore  rags  and  had  menial  tasks  to  do, 
Phrixus  and  Helle  looked  the  children  of  a  queen.  The  boy  was 
tall,  and  in  his  eyes  there  often  came  the  flash  of  power,  and  the 
girl  looked  as  if  she  would  grow  into  a  lovely  maiden.  And  when 
Athamas,  their  father,  would  meet  them  by  chance  he  would  sigh, 


28  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

and  Queen  Ino  would  know  by  that  sigh  that  he  had  still  some 
love  for  them  in  his  heart.  Afterward  she  would  have  to  use  all 
the  power  she  possessed  to  win  the  king  back  from  thinking  upon 
his  children. 

"And  now  Queen  Ino  had  children  of  her  own.  She  knew  that 
the  people  reverenced  the  children  of  Nephele  and  cared  nothing 
for  her  children.  And  because  she  knew  this  she  feared  that  when 
Athamas  died  Phrixus  and  Helle,  the  children  of  Nephele,  would 
be  brought  to  rule  in  Thebes.  Then  she  and  her  children  would 
be  made  to  change  places  with  them. 

"This  made  Queen  Ino  think  on  ways  by  which  she  could  make 
Phrixus  and  Helle  lose  their  lives.  She  thought  long  upon  this, 
and  at  last  a  desperate  plan  came  into  her  mind. 

"When  it  was  winter  she  went  amongst  the  women  of  the 
countryside,  and  she  gave  them  jewels  and  clothes  for  presents. 
Then  she  asked  them  to  do  secretly  an  unheard-of  thing.  She 
asked  the  women  to  roast  over  their  fires  the  grains  that  had 
been  left  for  seed.  This  the  women  did.  Then  spring  came  on, 
and  the  men  sowed  in  the  fields  the  grain  that  had  been  roasted 
over  the  fires.  No  shoots  grew  up  as  the  spring  went  by.  In 
summer  there  was  no  waving  greenness  in  the  fields.  Autumn 
came,  and  there  was  no  grain  for  the  reaping.  Then  the  men,  not 
knowing  what  had  happened,  went  to  King  Athamas  and  told 
him  that  there  would  be  famine  in  the  land. 

"The  king  sent  to  the  temple  of  Artemis  to  ask  how  the  people 
might  be  saved  from  the  famine.  And  the  guardians  of  the  temple, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO   COLCHIS  29 

having  taken  gold  from  Queen  Ino,  told  them  that  there  would  be 
worse  and  worse  famine  and  that  all  the  people  of  Thebes  would 
die  of  hunger  unless  the  king  was  willing  to  make  a  great  sacrifice. 

"When  the  king  asked  what  sacrifice  he  should  make  he  was 
told  by  the  guardians  of  the  temple  that  he  must  sacrifice  to  the 
goddess  his  two  children,  Phrixus  and  Helle.  Those  who  were 
around  the  king,  to  save  themselves  from  famine  after  famine, 
clamored  to  have  the  children  sacrificed.  Athamas,  to  save  his 
people,  consented  to  the  sacrifice. 

"They  went  toward  the  king's  palace.  They  found  Helle  by 
the  bank  of  the  river  washing  clothes.  They  took  her  and  bound 
her.  They  found  Phrixus,  half  naked,  digging  in  a  field,  and  they 
took  him,  too,  and  bound  him.  That  night  they  left  brother  and 
sister  in  the  same  prison.  Helle  wept  over  Phrixus,  and  Phrixus 
wept  to  think  that  he  was  not  able  to  do  anything  to  save  his 
sister. 

"The  servants  of  the  palace  went  to  Nephele,  and  they  mocked 
at  her,  telling  her  that  her  children  would  be  sacrified  on  the 
morrow.  Nephele  nearly  went  wild  in  her  grief.  And  then, 
suddenly,  there  came  into  her  mind  the  thought  of  a  creature  that 
might  be  a  helper  to  her  and  to  her  children. 

"This  creature  was  a  ram  that  had  wings  and  a  wonderful 
fleece  of  gold.  The  god  of  the  sea,  Poseidon,  had  sent  this 
wonderful  ram  to  Athamas  and  Nephele  as  a  marriage  gift.  And 
the  ram  had  since  been  kept  in  a  special  fold. 

"To  that  fold  Nephele  went.    She  spent  the  night  beside  the 


30  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

ram  praying  for  its  help.  The  morning  came  and  the  children 
were  taken  from  their  prison  and  dressed  in  white,  and  wreaths 
were  put  upon  their  heads  to  mark  them  as  things  for  sacrifice. 
They  were  led  in  a  procession  to  the  temple  of  Artemis.  Behind 
that  procession  King  Athamas  walked,  his  head  bowed  in  shame. 

"But  Queen  Ino's  head  was  not  bowed;  rather  she  carried  it 
high,  for  her  thought  was  all  upon  her  triumph.  Soon  Phrixus 
and  Helle  would  be  dead,  and  then,  whatever  happened,  her  own 
children  would  reign  after  Athamas  in  Thebes. 

"  Phrixus  and  Helle,  thinking  they  were  taking  their  last  look 
at  the  sun,  went  on.  And  even  then  Nephele,  holding  the  horns 
of  the  golden  ram,  was  making  her  last  prayer.  The  sun  rose  and 
as  it  did  the  ram  spread  out  its  great  wings  and  flew  through  the 
air.  It  flew  to  the  temple  of  Artemis.  Down  beside  the  altar  came 
the  golden  ram,  and  it  stood  with  its  horns  threatening  those  who 
came.  All  stopped  in  surprise.  Still  the  ram  stood  with  threaten- 
ing head  and  great  golden  wings  spread  out.  Then  Phrixus  ran 
from  those  who  were  holding  him  and  laid  his  hands  upon  the 
ram.  He  called  to  Helle  and  she,  too,  came  to  the  golden  creature. 
Phrixus  mounted  on  the  ram  and  he  pulled  Helle  up  beside  him. 
Then  the  golden  ram  flew  upward.  Up,  up,  it  went,  and  with  the 
children  upon  its  back  it  became  like  a  star  in  the  day-lit  sky. 

"Then  Queen  Ino,  seeing  the  children  saved  by  the  golden  ram, 
shrieked  and  fled  away  from  that  place.  Athamas  ran  after  her. 
As  she  ran  and  as  he  followed  hatred  for  her  grew  up  within  him. 
Ino  ran  on  and  on  until  she  came  to  the  cliffs  that  rose  over  the 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  31 

sea.  Fearing  Athamas  who  came  behind  her  she  plunged  down. 
But  as  she  fell  she  was  changed  by  Poseidon,  the  god  of  the  sea. 
She  became  a  seagull.  Athamas,  who  followed  her,  was  changed 
also;  he  became  the  sea  eagle  that,  with  beak  and  talons  ever 
ready  to  strike,  flies  above  the  sea. 

"And  the  golden  ram  with  wings  outspread  flew  on  and  on. 
Over  the  sea  it  flew  while  the  wind  whistled  around  the  children. 
On  and  on  they  went,  and  the  children  saw  only  the  blue  sea 
beneath  them.  Then  poor  Helle,  looking  downward,  grew  dizzy. 
She  fell  off  the  golden  ram  before  her  brother  could  take  hold  of 
her.  Down  she  fell,  and  still  the  ram  flew  on  and  on.  She  was 
drowned  in  that  sea.  The  people  afterward  named  it  in  memory 
of  her,  calling  it  'Hellespont'  —  'Helle's  Sea.' 

"On  and  on  the  ram  flew.  Over  a  wild  and  barren  country  it 
flew  and  toward  a  river.  Upon  that  river  a  white  city  was  built. 
Down  the  ram  flew,  and  alighting  on  the  ground,  stood  before 
the  gate  of  that  city.  It  was  the  city  of  Aea,  in  the  land  of 
Colchis. 

"The  king  was  in  the  street  of  the  city,  and  he  joined  with  the 
crowd  that  gathered  around  the  strange  golden  creature  that  had 
a  youth  upon  its  back.  The  ram  folded  its  wings  and  then  the 
youth  stood  beside  it.  He  spoke  to  the  people,  and  then  the 
king  —  JEetes  was  his  name  —  spoke  to  him,  asking  him  from 
what  place  he  had  come,  and  what  was  the  strange  creature  upon 
whose  back  he  had  flown. 

"To  the  king  and  to  the  people  Phrixus  told  his  story,  weeping 


32  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

to  tell  of  Helle  and  her  fall.  Then  King  ^Eetes  brought  him  into 
the  city,  and  he  gave  him  a  place  in  the  palace,  and  for  the  golden 
ram  he  had  a  special  fold  made. 

"Soon  after  the  ram  died,  and  then  King  ^Eetes  took  its  golden 
fleece  and  hung  it  upon  an  oak  tree  that  was  in  a  place  dedicated 
to  Ares,  the  god  of  war.  Phrixus  wed  one  of  the  daughters  of 
the  king,  and  men  say  that  afterward  he  went  back  to  Thebes, 
his  own  land. 

"And  as  for  the  Golden  Fleece  it  became  the  greatest  of 
King  Petes' s  treasures.  Well  indeed  does  he  guard  it,  and  not 
with  armed  men  only,  but  with  magic  powers.  Very  strong  and 
very  cunning  is  King  ^Eetes,  and  a  terrible  task  awaits  those  who 
would  take  away  from  him  that  Fleece  of  Gold." 

So  Alcimide  spoke,  sorrowfully  telling  to  the  women  the  story 
of  the  Golden  Fleece  that  her  son  Jason  was  going  in  quest  of. 
So  she  spoke,  and  the  night  waned,  and  the  morning,  of  the  sailing 
of  the  Argo  came  on. 

And  when  the  Argonauts  beheld  the  dawn  upon  the  high  peaks 
of  Pelion  they  arose  and  poured  out  wine  in  offering  to  Zeus,  the 
highest  of  the  gods.  Then  Argo  herself  gave  forth  a  strange 
cry,  for  the  beam  from  Dodona  that  had  been  formed  into  her  prow 
had  endued  her  with  life.  She  uttered  a  strange  cry,  and  as  she 
did  the  heroes  took  their  places  at  the  benches,  one  after  the 
other,  as  had  been  arranged  by  lot,  and  Tiphys,  the  helmsman, 
went  to  the  steering  place.    To  the  sound  of  Orpheus's  lyre  they 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  33 

smote  with  oars  the  rushing  sea  water,  and  the  surge  broke  over 
the  oar  blades.  The  sails  were  let  out  and  the  breeze  came  into 
them,  piping  shrilly,  and  the  fishes  came  darting  through  the 
green  sea,  great  and  small,  and  followed  them,  gamboling  along 
the  watery  paths.  And  Chiron,  the  king-centaur,  came  down 
from  the  Mountain  Pelion,  and  standing  with  his  feet  in  the  foam 
cried  out,  "  Good  speed,  0  Argonauts,  good  speed,  and  a  sorrow- 
less  return." 

THE   BEGINNING   OF  THINGS 

Orpheus  sang  to  his  lyre,  Orpheus  the  minstrel,  who  knew  the 
ways  and  the  stories  of  the  gods;  out  in  the  open  sea  on  the  first 
morning  of  the  voyage  Orpheus  sang  to  them  of  the  beginning  of 
things. 

He  sang  how  at  first  Earth  and  Heaven  and  Sea  were  all  mixed 
and  mingled  together.  There  was  neither  Light  nor  Darkness 
then,  but  only  a  Dimness.  This  was  Chaos.  And  from  Chaos 
came  forth  Night  and  Erebus.  From  Night  was  born  ^Ether,  the 
Upper  Air,  and  from  Night  and  Erebus  wedded  there  was  born 
Day. 

And  out  of  Chaos  came  Earth,  and  out  of  Earth  came  the 
starry  Heaven.  And  from  Heaven  and  Earth  wedded  there  were 
born  the  Titan  gods  and  goddesses  —  Oceanus,  Cceus,  Crius, 
Hyperion,  Iapetus;  Theia,  Rhea,  Themis,  Mnemosyne,  gold- 
crowned  Phcebe,  and  lovely  Tethys.  And  then  Heaven  and  Earth 
had  for  their  child  Cronos,  the  most  cunning  of  all. 


34  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Cronos  wedded  Rhea,  and  from  Cronos  and  Rhea  were  born  the 
gods  who  were  different  from  the  Titan  gods. 

But  Heaven  and  Earth  had  other  children  —  Cottus,  Briareus, 
and  Gyes.  These  were  giants,  each  with  fifty  heads  and  a 
hundred  arms.  And  Heaven  grew  fearful  when  he  looked  on 
these  giant  children,  and  he  hid  them  away  in  the  deep  places  of 
the  Earth. 

Cronos  hated  Heaven,  his  father.  He  drove  Heaven,  his 
father,  and  Earth,  his  mother,  far  apart.  And  far  apart  they 
stay,  for  they  have  never  been  able  to  come  near  each  other  since. 
And  Cronos  married  to  Rhea  had  for  children  Hestia,  Demeter, 
Hera,  Aidoneus,  and  Poseidon,  and  these  all  belonged  to  the 
company  of  the  deathless  gods.  Cronos  was  fearful  that  one  of 
his  sons  would  treat  him  as  he  had  treated  Heaven,  his  father. 
So  when  another  child  was  born  to  him  and  his  wife  Rhea  he 
commanded  that  the  child  be  given  to  him  so  that  he  might 
swallow  him.  But  Rhea  wrapped  a  great  stone  in  swaddling 
clothes  and  gave  the  stone  to  Cronos.  And  Cronos  swallowed 
the  stone,  thinking  to  swallow  his  latest-born  child. 

That  child  was  Zeus.  Earth  took  Zeus  and  hid  him  in  a  deep 
cave  and  those  who  minded  and  nursed  the  child  beat  upon 
drums  so  that  his  cries  might  not  be  heard.  His  nurse  was 
Adrastia ;  when  he  was  able  to  play  she  gave  him  a  ball  to  play 
with.  All  of  gold  was  the  ball,  with  a  dark-blue  spiral  around  it. 
When  the  boy  Zeus  would  play  with  this  ball  it  would  make  a 
track  across  the  sky,  flaming  like  a  star. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  35 

Hyperion  the  Titan  god  wed  Theia  the  Titan  goddess,  and 
their  children  were  Helios,  the  bright  Sun,  and  Selene,  the  clear 
Moon.  And  Cceus  wed  Phcebe,  and  their  children  were  Leto, 
who  is  kind  to  gods  and  men,  and  Asteria  of  happy  name,  and 
Hecate,  whom  Zeus  honored  above  all.  Now  the  gods  who  were 
the  children  of  Cronos  and  Rhea  went  up  unto  the  Mountain 
Olympus,  and  there  they  built  their  shining  palaces.  But  the 
Titan  gods  who  were  born  of  Heaven  and  Earth  went  up  to  the 
Mountain  Othrys,  and  there  they  had  their  thrones. 

Between  the  Olympians  and  the  Titan  gods  of  Othrys  a  war 
began.  Neither  side  might  prevail  against  the  other.  But 
now  Zeus,  grown  up  to  be  a  youth,  thought  of  how  he  might 
help  the  Olympians  to  overthrow  the  Titan  gods. 

He  went  down  into  the  deep  parts  of  the  Earth  where  the 
giants  Cottus,  Briareus,  and  Gyes  had  been  hidden  by  their 
father.  Cronos  had  bound  them,  weighing  them  down  with 
chains.  But  now  Zeus  loosed  them  and  the  hundred-armed 
giants  in  their  gratitude  gave  him  the  lightning  and  showed  him 
how  to  use  the  thunderbolt. 

Zeus  would  have  the  giants  fight  against  the  Titan  gods.  But 
although  they  had  mighty  strength  Cottus,  Briareus,  and  Gyes 
had  no  fire  of  courage  in  their  hearts.  Zeus  thought  of  a  way  to 
give  them  this  courage;  he  brought  the  food  and  drink  of  the 
gods  to  them,  ambrosia  and  nectar,  and  when  they  had  eaten  and 
drunk  their  spirits  grew  within  the  giants,  and  they  were  ready  to 
make  war  upon  the  Titan  gods. 


36  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

"Sons  of  Earth  and  Heaven,"  said  Zeus  to  the  hundred-armed 
giants,  "a  long  time  now  have  the  Dwellers  on  Olympus  been 
striving  with  the  Titan  gods.  Do  you  lend  your  unconquerable 
might  to  the  gods  and  help  them  to  overthrow  the  Titans." 

Cottus,  the  eldest  of  the  giants,  answered,  "Divine  One, 
through  your  devising  we  are  come  back  again  from  the  murky 
gloom  of  the  mid  Earth  and  we  have  escaped  from  the  hard  bonds 
that  Cronus  laid  upon  us.  Our  minds  are  fixed  to  aid  you  in  the 
war  against  the  Titan  gods." 

So  the  hundred-armed  giants  said,  and  thereupon  Zeus  went  and 
he  gathered  around  him  all  who  were  born  of  Cronos  and  Rhea. 
Cronos  himself  hid  from  Zeus.  Then  the  giants,  with  their  fifty 
heads  growing  from  their  shoulders  and  their  hundred  hands,  went 
forth  against  the  Titan  gods.  The  boundless  sea  rang  terribly 
and  the  earth  crashed  loudly;  wide  Heaven  was  shaken  and 
groaned,  and  high  Olympus  reeled  from  its  foundation.  Holding 
huge  rocks  in  their  hands  the  giants  attacked  the  Titan  gods. 

Then  Zeus  entered  the  war.  He  hurled  the  lightning;  the 
bolts  flew  thick  and  fast  from  his  strong  hand,  with  thunder  and 
lightning  and  flame.  The  earth  crashed  around  in  burning,  the 
forests  crackled  with  fire,  the  ocean  seethed.  And  hot  flames 
wrapped  the  earth-born  Titans  all  around.  Three  hundred  rocks, 
one  upon  another,  did  Cottus,  Briareus,  and  Gyes  hurl  upon  the 
Titans.  And  when  their  ranks  were  broken  the  giants  seized 
upon  them  and  held  them  for  Zeus. 

But  some  of  the  Titan  gods,  seeing  that  the  strife  for  them 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  37 

was  vain,  went  over  to  the  side  of  Zeus.  These  Zeus  became 
friendly  with.  But  the  other  Titans  he  bound  in  chains  and  he 
hurled  them  down  to  Tartarus. 

As  far  as  Earth  is  from  Heaven  so  is  Tartarus  from  Earth.  A 
brazen  anvil  falling  down  from  Heaven  to  Earth  nine  days  and 
nine  nights  would  reach  the  earth  upon  the  tenth  day.  And 
again,  a  brazen  anvil  falling  from  Earth  nine  nights  and  nine  days 
would  reach  Tartarus  upon  the  tenth  night.  Around  Tartarus 
runs  a  fence  of  bronze  and  Night  spreads  in  a  triple  line  all  about 
it,  as  a  necklace  circles  the  neck.  There  Zeus  imprisoned  the 
Titan  gods  who  had  fought  against  him;  they  are  hidden  in  the 
misty  gloom,  in  a  dank  place,  at  the  ends  of  the  Earth.  And  they 
may  not  go  out,  for  Poseidon  fixed  gates  of  bronze  upon  their 
prison,  and  a  wall  runs  all  round  it.  There  Cottus,  Briareus,  and 
Gyes  stay,  guarding  them. 

And  there,  too,  is  the  home  of  Night.  Night  and  Day  meet 
each  other  at  that  place,  as  they  pass  a  threshold  of  bronze.  They 
draw  near  and  they  greet  one  another,  but  the  house  never  holds 
them  both  together,  for  while  one  is  about  to  go  down  into  the 
house,  the  other  is  leaving  through  the  door.  One  holds  Light 
in  her  hand  and  the  other  holds  in  her  arms  Sleep. 

There  the  children  of  dark  Night  have  their  dwellings  —  Sleep, 
and  Death,  his  brother.  The  sun  never  shines  upon  these  two. 
Sleep  may  roam  over  the  wide  earth,  and  come  upon  the  sea,  and 
he  is  kindly  to  men.  But  Death  is  not  kindly,  and  whoever  he 
seizes  upon,  him  he  holds  fast. 


38  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

There,  too,  stands  the  hall  of  the  lord  of  the  Underworld, 
Aidoneus,  the  brother  of  Zeus.  Zeus  gave  him  the  Underworld  to 
be  his  dominion  when  he  shared  amongst  the  Olympians  the 
world  that  Cronos  had  ruled  over.  A  fearful  hound  guards  the 
hall  of  Aidoneus :  Cerberus  he  is  called;  he  has  three  heads.  On 
those  who  go  within  that  hall  Cerberus  fawns,  but  on  those  who 
would  come  out  of  it  he  springs  and  would  devour  them. 

Not  all  the  Titans  did  Zeus  send  down  to  Tartarus.  Those  of 
them  who  had  wisdom  joined  him,  and  by  their  wisdom  Zeus  was 
able  to  overcome  Cronos.  Then  Cronos  went  to  live  with  the 
friendly  Titan  gods,  while  Zeus  reigned  over  Olympus,  becoming 
the  ruler  of  gods  and  men. 

So  Orpheus  sang,  Orpheus  who  knew  the  ways  and  the  histories 
of  the  gods. 

VI.    PCO-DEUCES'  VICTORY  AND  HERACLES' 

LOSS 

LL  the  places  that  the  Argonauts  came 
nigh  to  and  went  past  need  not  be  told  — 
Melibcea,  where  they  escaped  a  stormy 
beach;  Homole,  from  where  they  were 
able  to  look  on  Ossa  and  holy  Olympus; 
Lemnos,  the  island  that  they  were  to 
return  to;  the  unnamed  country  where 
the  Earth-born  Men  abide,  each  having  six  arms,  two  growing 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  39 

from  his  shoulders,  and  four  fitting  close  to  his  terrible  sides; 
and  then  the  Mountain  of  the  Bears,  where  they  climbed,  to 
make  sacrifice  there  to  Rhea,  the  mighty  mother  of  the  gods. 

Afterward,  for  a  whole  day,  no  wind  blew  and  the  sail  of  the 
Argo  hung  slack.  But  the  heroes  swore  to  each  other  that  they 
would  make  their  ship  go  as  swiftly  as  if  the  storm-footed  steeds 
of  Poseidon  were  racing  to  overtake  her.  Mightily  they  labored 
at  the  oars,  and  no  one  would  be  first  to  leave  his  rower's 
bench. 

And  then,  just  as  the  breeze  of  the  evening  came  up,  and  just 
as  the  rest  of  the  heroes  were  leaning  back,  spent  with  their 
labor,  the  oar  that  Heracles  still  pulled  at  broke,  and  half  of  it 
was  carried  away  by  the  waves.  Heracles  sat  there  in  ill  humor, 
for  he  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  his  unlaboring  hands. 

All  through  the  night  they  went  on  with  a  good  breeze  filling 
their  sails,  and  next  day  they  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Cius.  There  they  landed  so  that  Heracles  might  get  himself  an 
oar.  No  sooner  did  they  set  their  feet  upon  the  shore  than  the 
hero  went  off  into  the  forest,  to  pull  up  a  tree  that  he  might  shape 
into  an  oar. 

Where  they  had  landed  was  near  to  the  country  of  the  Bebry- 
cians,  a  rude  people  whose  king  was  named  Amycus.  Now  while 
Heracles  was  away  from  them  this  king  came  with  his  followers  — 
huge,  rude  men,  all  armed  with  clubs,  down  to  where  the  Ar- 
gonauts were  lighting  the^r  fires  on  the  beach. 

He  did  not  greet  them  courteously,  asking  them  what  manner 


40  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

of  men  they  were  and  whither  they  were  bound,  nor  did  he  offer 
them  hospitality.    Instead,  he  shouted  at  them  insolently: 

"  Listen  to  something  that  you  rovers  had  better  know.  I  am 
Amycus,  and  any  stranger  that  comes  to  this  land  has  to  get  into 
a  boxing  bout  with  me.  That's  the  law  that  I  have  laid  down. 
Unless  you  have  one  amongst  you  who  can  stand  up  to  me  you 
won't  be  let  go  back  to  your  ship.  If  you  don't  heed  my  law,  look 
out,  for  something's  going  to  happen  to  you." 

So  he  shouted,  that  insolent  king,  and  his  followers  raised  their 
clubs  and  growled  approval  of  what  their  master  said.  But  the 
Argonauts  were  not  dismayed  at  the  words  of  Amycus.  One  of 
them  stepped  toward  the  Bebrycians.  He  was  Poly  deuces,  good 
at  boxing. 

"Offer  us  no  violence,  king,"  said  Polydeuces.  "We  are 
ready  to  obey  the  law  that  you  have  laid  down.  Willingly  do  I 
take  up  your  challenge,  and  I  will  box  a  bout  with  you. " 

The  Argonauts  cheered  when  they  saw  Polydeuces,  the  good 
boxer,  step  forward,  and  when  they  heard  what  he  had  to  say. 
Amycus  turned  and  shouted  to  his  followers,  and  one  of  them 
brought  up  two  pairs  of  boxing  gauntlets  —  of  rough  cowhide 
they  were.  The  Argonauts  feared  that  Polydeuces'  hands  might 
have  been  made  numb  with  pulling  at  the  oar,  and  some  of  them 
went  to  him,  and  took  his  hands  and  rubbed  them  to  make  them 
supple;  others  took  from  off  his  shoulders  his  beautifully  colored 
mantle. 

Amycus  straightway  put  on  his  gauntlets  and  threw  off  his 


THE  VOYAGE  TO   COLCHIS  41 

mantle ;  he  stood  there  amongst  his  followers  with  his  great  arms 
crossed,  glowering  at  the  Argonauts  as  a  wild  beast  might  glower. 
And  when  the  two  faced  each  other  Amycus  seemed  like  one  of  the 
Earth-born  Men,  dark  and  hugely  shaped,  while  Helen's  brother 
stood  there  light  and  beautiful.  Polydeuces  was  like  that  star 
whose  beams  are  lovely  at  evening-tide. 

Like  the  wave  that  breaks  over  a  ship  and  gives  the  sailors  no 
respite  Amycus  came  on  at  Polydeuces.  He  pushed  in  upon  him, 
thinking  to  bear  him  down  and  overwhelm  him.  But  as  the  skill- 
ful steersman  keeps  the  ship  from  being  overwhelmed  by  the 
monstrous  wave,  so  Polydeuces,  all  skill  and  lightness,  baffled  the 
rushes  of  Amycus.  At  last  Amycus,  standing  on  the  tips  of  his 
toes  and  rising  high  above  him,  tried  to  bring  down  his  great  fist 
upon  the  head  of  Polydeuces.  The  hero  swung  aside  and  took  the 
blow  on  his  shoulder.  Then  he  struck  his  blow.  It  was  a  strong 
one,  and  under  it  the  king  of  the  Bebrycians  staggered  and  fell 
down.  "You  see,"  said  Polydeuces,  "that  we  keep  your 
law. " 

The  Argonauts  shouted,  but  the  rude  Bebrycians  raised  their 
clubs  to  rush  upon  them.  Then  would  the  heroes  have  been  hard 
pressed,  and  forced,  perhaps,  to  get  back  to  the  Argo.  But  sud- 
denly Heracles  appeared  amongst  them,  coming  up  from  the 
forest. 

He  carried  a  pine  tree  in  his  hands  with  all  its  branches  still 
upon  it,  and  seeing  this  mighty-statured  man  appear  with  the  great 
tree  in  his  hands,  the  Bebrycians  hurried  off,  carrying  their  fallen 


42  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

king  with  them.  Then  the  Argonauts  gathered  around  Poly- 
deuces,  saluted  him  as  their  champion,  and  put  a  crown  of  vic- 
tory upon  his  head.  Heracles,  meanwhile,  lopped  off  the 
branches  of  the  pine  tree  and  began  to  fashion  it  into  an  oar. 

The  fires  were  lighted  upon  the  shore,  and  the  thoughts  of  all 
were  turned  to  supper.  Then  young  Hylas,  who  used  to  sit  by 
Heracles  and  keep  bright  the  hero's  arms  and  armor,  took  a 
bronze  vessel  and  went  to  fetch  water. 

Never  was  there  a  boy  so  beautiful  as  young  Hylas.  He  had 
golden  curls  that  tumbled  over  his  brow.  He  had  deep  blue 
eyes  and  a  face  that  smiled  at  every  glance  that  was  given  him,  at 
every  word  that  was  said  to  him.  Now  as  he  walked  through  the 
flowering  grasses,  with  his  knees  bare,  and  with  the  bright  vessel 
swinging  in  his  hand,  he  looked  most  lovely.  Heracles  had 
brought  the  boy  with  him  from  the  country  of  the  Dryopians; 
he  would  have  him  sit  beside  him  on  the  bench  of  the  Argo,  and 
the  ill  humors  that  often  came  upon  him  would  go  at  the  word* 
and  the  smile  of  Hylas. 

Now  the  spring  that  Hylas  was  going  toward  was  called  Pegae, 
and  it  was  haunted  by  the  nymphs.  They  were  dancing  around 
it  when  they  heard  Hylas  singing.  They  stole  softly  off  to  watch 
him.  Hidden  behind  trees  the  nymphs  saw  the  boy  come  near, 
and  they  felt  such  love  for  him  that  they  thought  they  could 
never  let  him  go  from  their  sight. 

They  stole  back  to  their  spring,  and  they  sank  down  below 
its  clear  surface.     Then  came  Hylas  singing  a  song  that  he  had 


"S:=  -'• 


,■■■.'.'■"'[■".   ■     ,-:■■  ■-£"    ;  > 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  COLCHIS  43 

heard  from  his  mother.  He  bent  down  to  the  spring,  and  the 
brimming  water  flowed  into  the  sounding  bronze  of  the  pitcher. 
Then  hands  came  out  of  the  water.  One  of  the  nymphs  caught 
Hylas  by  the  elbow;  another  put  her  arms  around  his  neck,  an- 
other took  the  hand  that  held  the  vessel  of  bronze.  The  pitcher 
sank  down  to  the  depths  of  the  spring.  The  hands  of  the  nymphs 
clasped  Hylas  tighter,  tighter;  the  water  bubbled  around  him 
as  they  drew  him  down.  Down,  down  they  drew  him,  and  into 
the  cold  and  glimmering  cave  where  they  live. 

There  Hylas  stayed.  But  although  the  nymphs  kissed  him  and 
sang  to  him,  and  showed  him  lovely  things,  Hylas  was  not 
content  to  be  there. 

Where  the  Argonauts  were  the  fires  burned,  the  moon  arose, 
and  still  Hylas  did  not  return.  Then  they  began  to  fear  lest  a 
wild  beast  had  destroyed  the  boy.  One  went  to  Heracles  and 
told  him  that  young  Hylas  had  not  come  back,  and  that  they 
were  fearful  for  him.  Heracles  flung  down  the  pine  tree  that  he 
was  fashioning  into  an  oar,  and  he  dashed  along  the  way  that 
Hylas  had  gone  as  if  a  gadfly  were  stinging  him.  "  Hylas,  Hylas, M 
he  cried.  But  Hylas,  in  the  cold  and  glimmering  cave  that  the 
nymphs  h^  drawn  him  into,  did  not  hear  the  call  of  his  friend 
Heracles. 

All  the  Argonauts  went  searching,  calling  as  they  went  through 
the  island,  "  Hylas,  Hylas,  Hylas!"  But  only  their  own  calls 
came  back  to  them.  The  morning  star  came  up,  and  Tiphys, 
the  steersman,  called  to  them  from  the  Argo.    And  when  they 


44  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

came  to  the  ship  Tiphys  told  them  that  they  would  have  to  go 
aboard  and  make  ready  to  sail  from  that  place. 

They  called  to  Heracles,  and  Heracles  at  last  came  down  to 
the  ship.  They  spoke  to  him,  saying  that  they  would  have  to  sail 
away.  Heracles  would  not  go  on  board.  "  I  will  not  leave  this 
island/'  he  said,  "  until  I  find  young  Hylas  or  learn  what  has 
happened  to  him." 

Then  Jason  arose  to  give  the  command  to  depart.  But  before 
the  words  were  said  Telamon  stood  up  and  faced  him.  "Jason, " 
he  said  angrily,  ayou  do  not  bid  Heracles  come  on  board,  and 
you  would  have  the  Argo  leave  without  him.  You  would  leave 
Heracles  here  so  that  he  may  not  be  with  us  on  the  quest  where 
his  glory  might  overshadow  your  glory,  Jason." 

Jason  said  no  word,  but  he  sat  back  on  his  bench  with  head 
bowed.  And  then,  even  as  Telamon  said  these  angry  words,  a 
strange  figure  rose  up  out  of  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

It  was  the  figure  of  a  man,  wrinkled  and  old,  with  seaweed  in 
his  beard  and  his  hair.  There  was  a  majesty  about  him,  and  the 
Argonauts  all  knew  that  this  was  one  of  the  immortals  —  he  was 
Nereus,  the  ancient  one  of  the  sea. 

"  To  Heracles,  and  to  you,  the  rest  of  the  Argo^aaS,  I  have  a 
thing  to  say,"  said  the  ancient  one,  Nereus.  "Know,  first,  that 
Hylas  has  been  taken  by  the  nymphs  who  love  him  and  who 
think  to  win  his  love,  and  that  he  will  stay  forever  with  them  in 
their  cold  and  glimmering  cave.  For  Hylas  seek  no  more.  And 
to  you,  Heracles,  I  will  say  this:    Go  aboard  the  Argo  again;    the 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  45 

ship  will  take  you  to  where  a  great  labor  awaits  you,  and  which, 
in  accomplishing,  you  will  work  out  the  will  of  Zeus.  You  will 
know  what  this  labor  is  when  a  spirit  seizes  on  you."  So  the 
ancient  one  of  the  sea  said,  and  he  sank  back  beneath  the  waves. 
Heracles  went  aboard  the  Ar go  once  more,  and  he  took  his  place 
on  the  bench,  the  new  oar  in  his  hand.  Sad  he  was  to  think  that 
young  Hylas  who  used  to  sit  at  his  knee  would  never  be  there 
again.  The  breeze  filled  the  sail,  the  Argonauts  pulled  at  the  oars, 
and  in  sadness  they  watched  the  island  where  young  Hylas 
had  been  lost  to  them  recede  from  their  view. 

VII.    KING  PHINEUS 

AID  Tiphys,  the  steersman:  "If  we  could 
enter  the  Sea  of  Pontus,  we  could 
make  our  way  across  that  sea  to  Colchis  in 
a  short  time.  But  the  passage  into  the 
Sea  of  Pontus  is  most  perilous,  and  few 
mortals  dare  even  to  make  approach  to 
it." 

Said  Ja?on,*the  chieftain  of  the  host:  "The  dangers  of  the 
passage,  Tiphys,  we  have  spoken  of,  and  it  may  be  that  we  shall 
have  to  carry  Argo  overland  to  the  Sea  of  Pontus.  But  you, 
Tiphys,  have  spoken  of  a  wise  king  who  is  hereabouts,  and  who 
might  help  us  to  make  the  dangerous  passage.  Speak  again  to 
us,  and  tell  us  what  the  dangers  of  the  passage  are,  and  who  the 


46  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

king  is  who  may  be  able  to  help  us  to  make  these  dangers 
less." 

Then  said  Tiphys,  the  steersman  of  the  Argo:  "No  ship  sailed 
by  mortals  has  as  yet  gone  through  the  passage  that  brings  this 
sea  into  the  Sea  of  Pontus.  In  the  way  are  the  rocks  that  mari- 
ners call  The  Clashers.  These  rocks  are  not  fixed  as  rocks  should 
be,  but  they  rush  one  against  the  other,  dashing  up  the  sea,  and 
crushing  whatever  may  be  between.  Yea,  if  Argo  were  of  iron, 
and  if  she  were  between  these  rocks  when  they  met,  she  would  be 
crushed  to  bits.  I  have  sailed  as  far  as  that  passage,  but  seeing 
The  Clashers  strike  together  I  turned  back  my  ship,  and  jour- 
neyed as  far  as  the  Sea  of  Pontus  overland. 

"But  I  have  been  told  of  one  who  knows  how  a  ship  may  be 
taken  through  the  passage  that  The  Clashers  make  so  perilous. 
He  who  knows  is  a  king  hereabouts,  Phineus,  who  has  made  him- 
self as  wise  as  the  gods.  To  no  one  has  Phineus  told  how 
the  passage  may  be  made,  but  knowing  what  high  favor  has 
been  shown  to  us,  the  Argonauts,  it  may  be  that  he  will 
tell  us." 

So  Tiphys  said,  and  Jason  commanded  him  to  steer  the  Argo 
toward  the  city  where  ruled  Phineus,  the  wise  king.  « * 

To  Salmydessus,  then,  where  Phineus  ruled,  Tiphys  steered 
the  Argo.  They  left  Heracles  with  Tiphys  aboard  to  guard  the 
ship,  and,  with  the  rest  of  the  heroes,  Jason  went  through  the 
streets  of  the  city.    They  met  many  men,  but  when  they  asked 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  47 

any  of  them  how  they  might  come  to  the  palace  of  King  Phineus 
the  men  turned  fearfully  away. 

They  found  their  way  to  the  king's  palace.  Jason  spoke  to  the 
servants  and  bade  them  tell  the  king  of  their  coming.  The  serv- 
ants, too,  seemed  fearful,  and  as  Jason  and  his  comrades  were 
wondering  what  there  was  about  him  that  made  men  fearful  at 
his  name,  Phineus,  the  king,  came  amongst  them. 

Were  it  not  that  he  had  a  purple  border  to  his  robe  no  one 
would  have  known  him  for  the  king,  so  miserable  did  this  man 
seem.  He  crept  along,  touching  the  walls,  for  the  eyes  in  his  head 
were  blind  and  withered.  His  body  was  shrunken,  and  when  he 
stood  before  them  leaning  on  his  staff  he  was  like  to  a  lifeless 
thing.  He  turned  his  blinded  eyes  upon  them,  looking  from  one 
to  the  other  as  if  he  were  searching  for  a  face. 

Then  his  sightless  eyes  rested  upon  Zetes  and  Calais,  the  sons 
of  Boreas,  the  North  Wind.  A  change  came  into  his  face  as  it 
turned  upon  them.  One  would  think  that  he  saw  the  wonder 
that  these  two  were  endowed  with  —  the  wings  that  grew  upon 
their  ankles.  It  was  a  while  before  he  turned  his  face  from  them; 
then  he  spoke  to  Jason  and  said: 

"  You  have  come  to  have  counsel  with  one  who  has  the  wisdom 
of  the  gods.  Others  before  you  have  come  for  such  counsel,  but 
seeing  the  misery  that  is  visible  upon  me  they  went  without  ask- 
ing for  counsel.  I  would  strive  to  hold  you  here  for  a  while. 
Stay,  and  have  sight  of  the  misery  the  gods  visit  upon  those  who 
would  be  as  wise  as  they.    And  when  you  have  seen  the  thing 


48  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

that  is  wont  to  befall  me,  it  may  be  that  help  will  come  from 
you  for  me." 

Then  Phineus,  the  blind  king,  left  them,  and  after  a  while  the 
heroes  were  brought  into  a  great  hall,  and  they  were  invited  to 
rest  themselves  there  while  a  banquet  was  being  prepared  for 
them. 

The  hall  was  richly  adorned,  but  it  looked  to  the  heroes  as  if 
it  had  known  strange  happenings;  rich  hangings  were  strewn 
upon  the  ground,  an  ivory  chair  was  overturned,  and  the  dais 
where  the  king  sat  had  stains  upon  it.  The  servants  who  went 
through  the  hall  making  ready  the  banquet  were  white-faced  and 
fearful. 

The  feast  was  laid  on  a  great  table,  and  the  heroes  were  invited 
to  sit  down  to  it.  The  king  did  not  come  into  the  hall  before  they 
sat  down,  but  a  table  with  food  was  set  before  the  dais.  When 
the  heroes  had  feasted,  the  king  came  into  the  hall.  He  sat  at 
the  table,  blind,  white-faced,  and  shrunken,  and  the  Argonauts 
all  turned  their  faces  to  him. 

Said  Phineus,  the  blind  king:  "You  see,  0  heroes,  how  much 
my  wisdom  avails  me.  You  see  me  blind  and  shrunken,  who 
tried  to  make  myself  in  wisdom  equal  to  the  gods.  And  yet  you 
have  not  seen  all.  Watch  now  and  see  what  feasts  Phineus,  the 
wise  king,  has  to  delight  him. " 

He  made  a  sign,  and  the  white-faced  and  trembling  servants 
brought  food  and  set  it  upon  the  table  that  was  before  him.  The 
king  bent  forward  as  if  to  eat,  and  they  saw  that  his  face  was 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  49 

covered  with  the  damp  of  fear.  He  took  food  from  the  dish  and 
raised  it  to  his  mouth.  As  he  did,  the  doors  of  the  hall  were  flung 
open  as  if  by  a  storm.  Strange  shapes  flew  into  the  hall  and  set 
themselves  beside  the  king.  And  when  the  Argonauts  looked 
upon  them  they  saw  that  these  were  terrib^  and  unsightly 
shapes. 

They  were  things  that  had  the  wings  and  claws  of  birds  and  the 
heads  of  women.  Black  hair  and  gray  feathers  were  mixed  upon 
them;  they  had  red  eyes,  and  streaks  of  blood  .vere  upon  their 
breasts  and  wings.  And  as  the  king  raised  the  food  to  his  mouth 
they  flew  at  him  and  buffeted  his  head  with  their  wings,  and 
snatched  the  food  from  his  hands.  Then  they  devoured  or 
scattered  what  was  upon  the  table,  and  all  the  time  they  screamed 
and  laughed  and  mocked. 

"Ah,  now  ye  see,"  Phineus  panted,  "what  it  is  to  have 
wisdom  equal  to  the  wisdom  of  the  gods.  Now  ye  all  see  my 
misery.  Never  do  I  strive  to  put  food  to  my  lips  but  these  foul 
things,  the  Harpies,  the  Snatchers,  swoop  down  and  scatter  or 
devour  what  I  would  eat.  Crumbs  they  leave  me  that  my  life 
may  not  altogether  go  from  me,  but  these  crumbs  they  make  foul 
to  my  taste  and  my  smell. " 

And  one  of  the  Harpies  perched  herself  on  the  back  of  the 
king's  throne  and  looked  upon  the  heroes  with  red  eyes.  "Hah, " 
she  screamed,  "you  bring  armed  men  into  your  feasting  hall, 
thinking  to  scare  us  away.  Never,  Phineus,  can  you  scare  us 
from  you!    Always  you  will  have  us,  the  Snatchers,  beside  you 


50  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

when  you  would  still  your  ache  of  hunger.  What  can  these  men 
do  against  us  who  are  winged  and  who  can  travel  through  the 
ways  of  the  air?  " 

So  said  the  unsightly  Harpy,  and  the  heroes  drew  together, 
made  fearful  by  these  awful  shapes.  All  drew  back  except  Zetes 
and  Calais,  the  sons  of  the  North  Wind.  They  laid  their  hands 
upon  their  swords.  The  wings  on  their  shoulders  spread  out 
and  the  wings  at  their  heels  trembled.  Phineus,  the  king,  leaned 
forward  and  panted:  "By  the  wisdom  I  have  I  know  that  there 
are  two  amongst  you  who  can  save  me.  0  make  haste  to  help  me, 
ye  who  can  help  me,  and  I  will  give  the  counsel  that  you  Argo- 
nauts have  come  to  me  for,  and  besides  I  will  load  down  your 
ship  with  treasure  and  costly  stuffs.  Oh,  make  haste,  ye  who 
can  help  me!" 

Hearing  the  king  speak  like  this,  the  Harpies  gathered  together 
and  gnashed  with  their  teeth,  and  chattered  to  one  another. 
Then,  seeing  Zetes  and  Calais  with  their  hands  upon  their  swords, 
they  rose  up  on  their  wings  and  flew  through  the  wide  doors  of 
the  hall.  The  king  cried  out  to  Zetes  and  Calais.  But  the  sons 
of  the  North  Wind  had  already  risen  with  their  wings,  and  they 
were  after  the  Harpies,  their  bright  swords  in  their  hands. 

On  flew  the  Harpies,  screeching  and  gnashing  their  teeth  in 
anger  and  dismay,  for  now  they  felt  that  they  might  be  driven 
from  Salmydessus,  where  they  had  had  such  royal  feasts.  They 
rose  high  in  the  air  and  flew  out  toward  the  sea.  But  high  as  the 
Harpies  rose,  the  sons  of  the  North  Wind  rose  higher.     The 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  51 

Harpies  cried  pitiful  cries  as  they  flew  on,  but  Zetes  and  Calais 
felt  no  pity  for  them,  for  they  knew  that  these  dread  Snatchers, 
with  the  stains  of  blood  upon  their  breasts  and  wings,  had 
shown  pity  neither  to  Phineus  nor  to  any  other. 

On  they  flew  until  they  came  to  the  island  that  is  called  the 
Floating  Island.  There  the  Harpies  sank  down  with  wearied 
wings.  Zetes  and  Calais  were  upon  them  now,  and  they  would 
have  cut  them  to  pieces  with  their  bright  swords,  if  the  messenger 
of  Zeus,  Iris,  with  the  golden  wings,  had  not  come  between. 

"Forbear  to  slay  the  Harpies,  sons  of  Boreas, "  cried  Iris  warn- 
ingly,  "forbear  to  slay  the  Harpies  that  are  the  hounds  of  Zeus. 
Let  them  cower  here  and  hide  themselves,  and  I,  who  come  from 
Zeus,  will  swear  the  oath  that  the  gods  most  dread,  that  they  will 
never  again  come  to  Salmydessus  to  trouble  Phineus,  the  king. " 

The  heroes  yielded  to  the  words  of  Iris.  She  took  the  oath  that 
the  gods  most  dread  —  the  oath  by  the  Water  of  Styx  —  that 
never  again  would  the  Harpies  show  themselves  to  Phineus. 
Then  Zetes  and  Calais  turned  back  toward  the  city  of  Salmy- 
dessus. The  island  that  they  drove  the  Harpies  to  had  been 
called  the  Floating  Island,  but  thereafter  it  was  called  the  Island 
of  Turning.  It  was  evening  when  they  turned  back,  and  all  night 
long  the  Argonauts  and  King  Phineus  sat  in  the  hall  of  the  palace 
and  awaited  the  return  of  Zetes  and  Calais,  the  sons  of  the  North 
Wind. 


52  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

VIII.  KING  PfflNEUS'S  COUNSEL;  THE  LANDING 
IN  LEMNOS 

HEY  came  into  King  Phineus's  hall,  their 
bright  swords  in  their  hands.  The  Argo- 
nauts crowded  around  diem  and  King 
Phineus  raised  his  head  and  stretched  out 
his  thin  hands  to  them.  And  Zetes  and 
Calais  told  their  comrades  and  told  the 
king  how  they  had  driven  the  Harpies 
down  to  the  Floating  Island,  and  how  Iris,  the  messenger  of 
Zeus,  had  sworn  the  great  oath  that  was  by  the  Water  of  Styx 
that  never  again  would  the  Snatchers  show  themselves  in  the 
palace. 

Then  a  great  golden  cup  brimming  with  wine  was  brought  to 
the  king.  He  stood  holding  it  in  his  trembling  hands,  fearful  even 
then  that  the  Harpies  would  tear  the  cup  out  of  his  hands.  He 
drank  —  long  and  deeply  he  drank  —  and  the  dread  shapes  of 
the  Snatchers  did  not  appear.  Down  amongst  the  heroes  he  came 
and  he  took  into  his  the  hands  of  Zetes  and  Calais,  the  sons  of 
the  North  Wind. 

"0  heroes  greater  than  any  kings, "  he  said,  "ye  have  delivered 
me  from  the  terrible  curse  that  the  gods  had  sent  upon  me.  I 
thank  ye,  and  I  thank  ye  all,  heroes  of  the  quest.  And  the 
thanks  of  Phineus  will  much  avail  you  all. " 

Clasping  the  hands  of  Zetes  and  Calais  he  led  the  heroes  through 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  53 

hall  after  hall  of  his  palace  and  down  into  his  treasure  chamber. 
There  he  bestowed  upon  the  banishers  of  the  Harpies  crowns  and 
arm  rings  of  gold  and  richly  colored  garments  and  brazen  chests 
in  which  to  store  the  treasure  that  he  gave.  And  to  Jason  he  gave 
an  ivory-hilted  and  gold-encased  sword,  and  on  each  of  the 
voyagers  he  bestowed  a  rich  gift,  not  forgetting  the  heroes  who 
had  remained  on  the  Argo,  Heracles  and  Tiphys. 

They  went  back  to  the  great  hall,  and  a  feast  was  spread  for 
the  king  and  for  the  Argonauts.  They  ate  from  rich  dishes  and 
they  drank  from  flowing  wine  cups.  Phineus  ate  and  drank  as  the 
heroes  did,  and  no  dread  shapes  came  before  him  to  snatch  from 
him  nor  to  buffet  him.  But  as  Jason  looked  upon  the  man  who 
had  striven  to  equal  the  gods  in  wisdom,  and  noted  his  blinded 
eyes  and  shrunken  face,  he  resolved  never  to  harbor  in  his  heart 
such  presumption  as  Phineus  had  harbored. 

When  the  feast  was  finished  the  king  spoke  to  Jason,  telling 
him  how  the  Argo  might  be  guided  through  the  Symplegades,  the 
dread  passage  into  the  Sea  of  Pontus.  He  told  them  to  bring 
their  ship  near  to  the  Clashing  Rocks.  And  one  who  had  the  keenest 
sight  amongst  them  was  to  stand  at  the  prow  of  the  ship  hold- 
ing a  pigeon  in  his  hands.  As  the  rocks  came  together  he  was  to 
loose  the  pigeon.  If  it  found  a  space  to  fly  through  they  would 
know  that  the  Argo  could  make  the  passage,  and  they  were  to 
steer  straight  toward  where  the  pigeon  had  flown.  But  if  it  flut- 
tered down  to  the  sea,  or  flew  back  to  them,  or  became  lost  in  the 
clouds  of  spray,  they  were  to  know  that  the  Argo  might  not  make 


54  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

that  passage.    Then  the  heroes  would  have  to  take  their  ship 
overland  to  where  they  might  reach  the  Sea  of  Pontus. 

That  day  they  bade  farewell  to  Phineus,  and  with  the  treasures 
he  had  bestowed  upon  them  they  went  down  to  the  Argo.  To 
Heracles  and  Tiphys  they  gave  the  presents  that  the  king  had 
sent  them.  In  the  morning  they  drew  the  Argo  out  of  the  harbor 
of  Salmydessus,  and  set  sail  again. 

But  not  until  long  afterward  did  they  come  to  the  Symplegades, 
the  passage  that  was  to  be  their  great  trial.  For  they  landed 
first  in  a  country  that  was  full  of  woods,  where  they  were  wel- 
comed by  a  king  who  had  heard  of  the  voyagers  and  of  their  quest. 
There  they  stayed  and  hunted  for  many  days  in  the  woods.  And 
there  a  great  loss  befell  the  Argonauts,  for  Tiphys,  as  he  went 
through  the  woods,  was  bitten  by  a  snake  and  died.  He  who 
had  braved  so  many  seas  and  so  many  storms  lost  his  life  away 
from  the  ship.  The  Argonauts  made  a  tomb  for  him  on  the  shore 
of  that  land  —  a  great  pile  of  stones,  in  which  they  fixed  upright 
his  steering  oar.  Then  they  set  sail  again,  and  Nauplius  was 
made  the  steersman  of  the  ship. 

The  course  was  not  so  clear  to  Nauplius  as  it  had  been  to  Tiphys. 
The  steersman  did  not  find  his  bearings,  and  for  many  days  and 
nights  the  Argo  was  driven  on  a  backward  course.  They  came 
to  an  island  that  they  knew  to  be  that  Island  of  Lemnos  that  they 
had  passed  on  the  first  days  of  the  voyage,  and  they  resolved  to 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  55 

rest  there  for  a  while,  and  then  to  press  on  for  the  passage  into  the 
Sea  of  Pontus. 

They  brought  the  Argo  near  the  shore.  They  blew  trumpets 
and  set  the  loudest  voiced  of  the  heroes  to  call  out  to  those  upon 
the  island.  But  no  answer  came  to  them,  and  all  day  the  Argo 
lay  close  to  the  island. 

There  were  hidden  people  watching  them,  people  with  bows 
in  their  hands  and  arrows  laid  along  the  bowstrings.  And  the 
people  who  thus  threatened  the  unknowing  Argonauts  were  women 
and  young  girls. 

There  were  no  men  upon  the  Island  of  Lemnos.  Years  before 
a  curse  had  fallen  upon  the  people  of  that  island,  putting  strife 
between  the  men  and  the  women.  And  the  women  had  mastered 
the  men  and  had  driven  them  away  from  Lemnos.  Since  then 
some  of  the  women  had  grown  old,  and  the  girls  who  were 
children  when  their  fathers  and  brothers  had  been  banished  were 
now  of  an  age  with  Atalanta,  the  maiden  who  went  with  the 
Argonauts. 

They  chased  the  wild  beasts  of  the  island,  and  they  tilled  the 
fields,  and  they  kept  in  good  repair  the  houses  that  were  built  be- 
fore the  banishing  of  the  men.  The  older  women  served  those 
who  were  younger,  and  they  had  a  queen,  a  girl  whose  name  was 
Hypsipyle. 

The  women  who  watched  with  bows  in  their  hands  would  have 
shot  their  arrows  at  the  Argonauts  if  Hypsipyle's  nurse,  Polyxo, 


56  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

had  not  stayed  them.  She  forbade  them  to  shoot  at  the  strangers 
until  she  had  brought  to  them  the  queen's  commands. 

She  hastened  to  the  palace  and  she  found  the  young  queen 
weaving  at  a  loom.  She  told  her  about  the  ship  and  the  strangers 
on  board  the  ship,  and  she  asked  the  queen  what  word  she  should 
bring  to  the  guardian  maidens. 

"Before  you  give  a  command,  Hypsipyle,"  said  Polyxo,  the 
nurse,  "  consider  these  words  of  mine.  We,  the  elder  women,  are 
becoming  ancient  now;  in  a  few  years  we  will  not  be  able  to  serve 
you,  the  younger  women,  and  in  a  few  years  more  we  will  have 
gone  into  the  grave  and  our  places  will  know  us  no  more.  And 
you,  the  younger  women,  will  be  becoming  strengthless,  and  no 
more  will  be  you  able  to  hunt  in  the  woods  nor  to  till  the  fields, 
and  a  hard  old  age  will  be  before  you. 

"The  ship  that  is  beside  our  shore  may  have  come  at  a  good 
time.  Those  on  board  are  goodly  heroes.  Let  them  land  in  Lem- 
nos,  and  stay  if  they  will.  Let  them  wed  with  the  younger  women 
so  that  there  may  be  husbands  and  wives,  helpers  and  helpmeets, 
again  in  Lemnos." 

Hypsipyle,  the  queen,  let  the  shuttle  fall  from  her  hands  and 
stayed  for  a  while  looking  full  into  Polyxo's  face.  Had  her  nurse 
heard  her  say  something  like  this  out  of  her  dreams,  she  won- 
dered? She  bade  the  nurse  tell  the  guardian  maidens  to  let  the 
heroes  land  in  safety,  and  that  she  herself  would  put  the  crown 
of  King  Thoas,  her  father,  upon  her  head,  and  go  down  to  the 
shore  to  welcome  them. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  57 

And  now  the  Argonauts  saw  people  along  the  shore  and  they 
caught  sight  of  women's  dresses.  The  loudest  voiced  amongst 
them  shouted  again,  and  they  heard  an  answer  given  in  a  woman's 
voice.  They  drew  up  the  Argo  upon  the  shore,  and  they  set  foot 
upon  the  land  of  Lemnos. 

Jason  stepped  forth  at  the  head  of  his  comrades,  and  he  was 
met  by  Hypsipyle,  her  father's  crown  upon  her  head,  at  the  head 
of  her  maidens.  They  greeted  each  other,  and  Hypsipyle  bade 
the  heroes  come  with  them  to  their  town  that  was  called  Myrine 
and  to  the  palace  that  was  there. 

Wonderingly  the  Argonauts  went,  looking  on  women's  forms 
and  faces  and  seeing  no  men.  They  came  to  the  palace  and  went 
within.  Hypsipyle  mounted  the  stone  throne  that  was  King 
Thoas's  and  the  four  maidens  who  were  her  guards  stood  each 
side  of  her.  She  spoke  to  the  heroes  in  greeting  and  bade  them 
stay  in  peace  for  as  long  as  they  would.  She  told  them  of  the 
curse  that  had  fallen  upon  the  people  of  Lemnos,  and  of  how  the 
menfolk  had  been  banished.  Jason,  then,  told  the  queen  what 
voyage  he  and  his  companions  were  upon  and  what  quest  they 
were  making.  Then  in  friendship  the  Argonauts  and  the  women 
of  Lemnos  stayed  together  —  all  the  Argonauts  except  Heracles, 
and  he,  grieving  still  for  Hylas,  stayed  aboard  the  Argo. 


58  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

IX.    THE  LEMNIAN  MAIDENS 


@ 


ND  now  the  Argonauts  were  no  longer  on 
a  ship  that  was  being  dashed  on  by  the 
sea  and  beaten  upon  by  the  winds.  They 
had  houses  to  live  in;  they  had  honey- 
tasting  things  to  eat,  and  when  they  went 
through  the  island  each  man  might  have 
with  him  one  of  the  maidens  of  Lemnos. 
It  was  a  change  that  was  welcome  to  the  wearied  voyagers. 

They  helped  the  women  in  the  work  of  the  fields;  they  hunted 
the  beasts  with  them,  and  over  and  over  again  they  were  sur- 
prised at  how  skillfully  the  women  had  ordered  all  affairs. 
Everything  in  Lemnos  was  strange  to  the  Argonauts,  and  they 
stayed  day  after  day,  thinking  each  day  a  fresh  adventure. 

Sometimes  they  would  leave  the  fields  and  the  chase,  and  this 
hero  or  that  hero,  with  her  who  was  his  friend  amongst  the  Lem- 
nian  maidens,  would  go  far  into  that  strange  land  and  look  upon 
lakes  that  were  all  covered  with  golden  and  silver  water  lilies, 
or  would  gather  the  blue  flowers  from  creepers  that  grew  around 
dark  trees,  or  would  hide  themselves  so  that  they  might  Listen  to 
the  quick-moving  birds  that  sang  in  the  thickets.  Perhaps  on 
their  way  homeward  they  would  see  the  Argo  in  the  harbor,  and 
they  would  think  of  Heracles  who  was  aboard,  and  they  would 
call  to  him.  But  the  ship  and  the  voyage  they  had  been  on  now 
seemed  far  away  to  them,  and  the  Quest  of  the  Golden  Fleece 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  59 

seemed  to  them  a  story  they  had  heard  and  that  they  had  thought 
of,  but  that  they  could  never  think  on  again  with  all  that  fervor. 

When  Jason  looked  on  Hypsipyle  he  saw  one  who  seemed  to 
him  to  be  only  childlike  in  size.  Greatly  was  he  amazed  at  the 
words  that  poured  forth  from  her  as  she  stood  at  the  stone  throne 
of  King  Thoas  —  he  was  amazed  as  one  is  amazed  at  the  rush  of 
rich  notes  that  comes  from  the  throat  of  a  little  bird;  all  that  she 
said  was  made  Kghtninglike  by  her  eyes  —  her  eyes  that  were 
not  clear  and  quiet  like  the  eyes  of  the  maidens  he  had  seen 
in  Iolcus,  but  that  were  dark  and  burning.  Her  mouth  was  heavy 
and  this  heavy  mouth  gave  a  shadow  to  her  face  that  but  for  it 
was  all  bright  and  lovely. 

Hypsipyle  spoke  two  languages  —  one,  the  language  of  the 
mothers  of  the  women  of  Lemnos,  which  was  rough  and  harsh, 
a  speech  to  be  flung  out  to  slaves,  and  the  other  the  language  of 
Greece,  which  their  fathers  had  spoken,  and  which  Hypsipyle 
spoke  in  a  way  that  made  it  sound  like  strange  music.  She  spoke 
and  walked  and  did  all  things  in  a  queenlike  way,  and  Jason 
could  see  that,  for  all  her  youth  and  childlike  size,  Hypsipyle 
was  one  who  was  a  ruler. 

From  the  moment  she  took  his  hand  it  seemed  that  she  could 
not  bear  to  be  away  from  him.  Where  he  walked,  she  walked 
too;  where  he  sat  she  sat  before  him,  looking  at  him  with  her 
great  eyes  while  she  laughed  or  sang. 

Like  the  perfume  of  strange  flowers,  like  the  savor  of  strange 


60  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

fruit  was  Hypsipyle  to  Jason.  Hours  and  hours  he  would  spend 
sitting  beside  her  or  watching  her  while  she  arrayed  herself  in 
white  or  in  brightly  colored  garments.  Not  to  the  chase  and  not 
into  the  fields  did  Jason  go,  nor  did  he  ever  go  with  the  others 
into  the  Lemnian  land;  all  day  he  sat  in  the  palace  with  her, 
watching  her,  or  listening  to  her  singing,  or  to  the  long,  fierce 
speeches  that  she  used  to  make  to  her  nurse  or  to  the  four 
maidens  who  attended  her. 

In  the  evening  they  would  gather  in  the  hall  of  the  palace,  the 
Argonauts  and  the  Lemnian  maidens  who  were  their  comrades. 
There  were  dances,  and  always  Jason  and  Hypsipyle  danced  to- 
gether. All  the  Lemnian  maidens  sang  beautifully,  but  none  of 
them  had  any  stories  to  tell. 

And  when  the  Argonauts  would  have  stories  told  the  Lemnian 
maidens  would  forbid  any  tale  that  was  about  a  god  or  a  hero; 
only  stories  that  were  about  the  goddesses  or  about  some  maiden 
would  they  let  be  told. 

Orpheus,  who  knew  the  histories  of  the  gods,  would  have  told 
them  many  stories,  but  the  only  story  of  his  that  they  would 
come  from  the  dance  to  listen  to  was  a  story  of  the  goddesses,  of 
Demeter  and  her  daughter  Persephone. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  61 

DEMETER  AND   PERSEPHONE 


Once  when  Demeter  was  going  through  the  world,  giving  men 
grain  to  be  sown  in  their  fields,  she  heard  a  cry  that  came  to  her 
from  across  high  mountains  and  that  mounted  up  to  her  from 
the  sea.  Demeter's  heart  shook  when  she  heard  that  cry,  for 
she  knew  that  it  came  to  her  from  her  daughter,  from  her  only 
child,  young  Persephone. 

She  stayed  not  to  bless  the  fields  in  which  the  grain  was 
being  sown,  but  she  hurried,  hurried  away,  to  Sicily  and  to  the 
fields  of  Enna,  where  she  had  left  Persephone.  All  Enna  she 
searched,  and  all  Sicily,  but  she  found  no  trace  of  Persephone, 
nor  of  the  maidens  whom  Persephone  had  been  playing  with. 
From  all  whom  she  met  she  begged  for  tidings,  but  although 
some  had  seen  maidens  gathering  flowers  and  playing  together, 
no  one  could  tell  Demeter  why  her  child  had  cried  out  nor  where 
she  had  since  gone  to. 

There  were  some  who  could  have  told  her.  One  was  Cyane, 
a  water  nymph.  But  Cyane,  before  Demeter  came  to  her,  had 
been  changed  into  a  spring  of  water.  And  now,  not  being  able 
to  speak  and  tell  Demeter  where  her  child  had  gone  to  and  who 
had  carried  her  away,  she  showed  in  the  water  the  girdle  of 
Persephone  that  she  had  caught  in  her  hands.  And  Demeter, 
finding  the  girdle  of  her  child  in  the  spring,  knew  that  she  had 


62  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

been  carried  off  by  violence.  She  lighted  a  torch  at  ^Etna's 
burning  mountain,  and  for  nine  days  and  nine  nights  she  went 
searching  for  her  through  the  darkened  places  of  the  earth. 

Then,  upon  a  high  and  a  dark  hill,  the  Goddess  Demeter  came 
face  to  face  with  Hecate,  the  Moon.  Hecate,  too,  had  heard 
the  cry  of  Persephone;  she  had  sorrow  for  Demeter's  sorrow: 
she  spoke  to  her  as  the  two  stood  upon  that  dark,  high  hill, 
and  told  her  that  she  should  go  to  Helios  for  tidings  —  to  bright 
Helios,  the  watcher  for  the  gods,  and  beg  Helios  to  tell  her  who 
it  was  who  had  carried  off  by  violence  her  child  Persephone. 

Demeter  came  to  Helios.  He  was  standing  before  his  shining 
steeds,  before  the  impatient  steeds  that  draw  the  sun  through 
the  course  of  the  heavens.  Demeter  stood  in  the  way  of  those 
impatient  steeds;  she  begged  of  Helios  who  sees  all  things  upon 
the  earth  to  tell  her  who  it  was  had  carried  off  by  violence 
Persephone,  her  child. 

And  Helios,  who  may  make  no  concealment,  said:  "Queenly 
Demeter,  know  that  the  king  of  the  Underworld,  dark  Aido= 
neus,  has  carried  off  Persephone  to  make  her  his  queen  in  the 
realm  that  I  never  shine  upon."  He  spoke,  and  as  he  did,  his 
horses  shook  their  manes  and  breathed  out  fire,  impatient  to 
be  gone.  Helios  sprang  into  his  chariot  and  went  flashing 
away. 

Demeter,  knowing  that  one  of  the  gods  had  carried  off  Per- 
sephone against  her  will,  and  knowing  that  what  was  done  had 
been  done  by  the  will  of  Zeus,  would  go  no  more  into  the  assem- 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  63 

blies  of  the  gods.  She  quenched  the  torch  that  she  had  held  in 
her  hands  for  nine  days  and  nine  nights;  she  put  off  her  robe 
of  goddess,  and  she  went  wandering  over  the  earth,  uncom- 
f  or  ted  for  the  loss  of  her  child.  And  no  longer  did  she  appear 
as  a  gracious  goddess  to  men;  no  longer  did  she  give  them 
grain;  no  longer  did  she  bless  their  fields.  None  of  the  things 
that  it  had  pleased  her  once  to  do  would  Demeter  do  any  longer. 

II 

Persephone  had  been  playing  with  the  nymphs  who  are  the 
daughters  of  Ocean  —  Phaeno,  Ianthe,  Melita,  Ianeira,  Acaste 

—  in  the  lovely  fields  of  Enna.     They  went  to  gather  flowers 

—  irises  and  crocuses,  lilies,  narcissus,  hyacinths  and  rose- 
blooms  —  that  grow  in  those  fields.  As  they  went,  gathering 
flowers  in  their  baskets,  they  had  sight  of  Pergus,  the  pool 
that  the  white  swans  come  to  sing  in. 

Beside  a  deep  chasm  that  had  been  made  in  the  earth  a 
wonder  flower  was  growing  —  in  color  it  was  like  the  crocus, 
but  it  sent  forth  a  perfume  that  was  like  the  perfume  of  a 
hundred  flowers.  And  Persephone  thought  as  she  went  toward 
it  that  having  gathered  that  flower  she  would  have  something 
much  more  wonderful  than  her  companions  had. 

She  did  not  know  that  Aidoneus,  the  lord  of  the  Underworld, 
had  caused  that  flower  to  grow  there  so  that  she  might  be 
drawn  by  it  to  the  chasm  that  he  had  made. 

As  Persephone  stooped  to  pluck  the  wonder  flower,  Aidoneus, 


6,  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

in  his  chariot  of  iron,  dashed  up  through  the  chasm,  and  grasp- 
ing the  maiden  by  the  waist,  set  her  beside  him.  Only  Cyane, 
the  nymph,  tried  to  save  Persephone,  and  it  was  then  that  she 
caught  the  girdle  in  her  hands. 

The  maiden  cried  out,  first  because  her  flowers  had  been 
spilled,  and  then  because  she  was  being  reft  away.  She  cried 
out  to  her  mother,  and  her  cry  went  over  high  mountains  and 
sounded  up  from  the  sea.  The  daughters  of  Ocean,  affrighted, 
fled  and  sank  down  into  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

In  his  great  chariot  of  iron  that  was  drawn  by  black  steeds 
Aidoneus  rushed  down  through  the  chasm  he  had  made.  Into 
the  Underworld  he  went,  and  he  dashed  across  the  River 
Styx,  and  he  brought  his  chariot  up  beside  his  throne.  And  on 
his  dark  throne  he  seated  Persephone,  the  fainting  daughter  of 
Demeter. 

Ill 

No  more  did  the  Goddess  Demeter  give  grain  to  men;  no 
more  did  she  bless  their  fields :  weeds  grew  where  grain  had  been 
growing,  and  men  feared  that  in  a  while  they  would  famish  for 
lack  of  bread. 

She  wandered  throu^  the  world,  her  thought  all  upon  her 
child,  Persephone,  who  had  been  taken  from  ■'.  Once  she  sat 
by  a  well  by  a  wayside,  thinking  upon  the  child  that  she  might 
not  come  to  and  who  might  not  come  to  her. 

She  saw  four  maidens  come  near;  their  grace  and  their  youth 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  65' 

reminded  her  of  her  child.  They  stepped  lightly  along,  carry- 
ing bronze  pitchers  in  their  hands,  for  they  were  coming  to  the 
Well  of  the  Maiden  beside  which  Demeter  sat. 

The  maidens  thought  when  they  looked  upon  her  that  the 
goddess  was  some  ancient  woman  who  had  a  sorrow  in  her 
heart.  Seeing  that  she  was  so  noble  and  so  sorrowful  looking, 
the  maidens,  as  they  drew  the  clear  water  into  their  pitchers, 
spoke  kindly  to  her. 

"Why  do  you  stay  away  from  the  town,  old  mother? "  one 
of  the  maidens  said.  "Why  do  you  not  come  to  the  houses? 
We  think  that  you  look  as  if  you  were  shelterless  and  alone, 
and  we  should  like  to  tell  you  that  there  are  many  houses  in 
the  town  where  you  would  be  welcomed." 

Demeter's  heart  went  out  to  the  maidens,  because  they 
looked  so  young  and  fair  and  simple  and  spoke  out  of  such  kind 
hearts.  She  said  to  them:  "Where  can  I  go,  dear  children? 
My  people  are  far  away,  and  there  are  none  in  all  the  world 
who  would  care  to  be  near  me." 

Said  one  of  the  maidens:  "There  are  princes  in  the  land  who 
would  welcome  you  in  their  houses  if  you  would  consent  to 
nurse  one  of  their  young  children.  But  why  do  I  speak  of 
other  princes  beside  Celeus,  our  father?  In  his  house  you  would 
indeed  have  a  welcome.  But  lately  a  baby  has  been  born  to 
our  mother,  Metaneira,  and  she  would  greatly  rejoice  to  have 
one  as  wise  as  you  mind  little  Demophoon." 

All  the  time  that  she  watched  them  and  listened  to  their 


66  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

voices  Demeter  felt  that  the  grace  and  youth  of  the  maidens 
made  them  like  Persephone.  She  thought  that  it  would  ease 
her  heart  to  be  in  the  house  where  these  maidens  were,  and  she 
was  not  loath  to  have  them  go  and  ask  of  their  mother  to  have 
her  come  to  nurse  the  infant  child. 

Swiftly  they  ran  back  to  their  home,  their  hair  streaming 
behind  them  like  crocus  flowers;  kind  and  lovely  girls  whose 
names  are  well  remembered  —  Callidice  and  Cleisidice,  Demo 
and  Callithoe.  They  went  to  their  mother  and  they  told  her 
of  the  stranger-woman  whose  name  was  Doso.  She  would  make 
a  wise  and  a  kind  nurse  for  little  Demophoon,  they  said.  Their 
mother,  Metaneira,  rose  up  from  the  couch  she  was  sitting  on 
to  welcome  the  stranger.  But  when  she  saw  her  at  the  door- 
way, awe  came  over  her,  so  majestic  she  seemed. 

Metaneira  would  have  her  seat  herself  on  the  couch  but  the 
goddess  took  the  lowliest  stool,  saying  in  greeting:  "May  the 
gods  give  you  all  good,  lady." 

"Sorrow  has  set  you  wandering  from  your  good  home,"  said 
Metaneira  to  the  goddess,  "but  now  that  you  have  come  to  this 
place  you  shall  have  all  that  this  house  can  bestow  if  you  will 
rear  up  to  youth  the  infant  Demophoon,  child  of  many  hopes 
and  prayers." 

The  child  was  put  into  the  arms  of  Demeter;  she  clasped 
him  to  her  breast,  and  little  Demophoon  looked  up  into  her  face 
and  smiled.  Then  Demeter's  heart  went  out  to  the  child  and 
to  all  who  were  in  the  household. 


THE  VOYAGE   TO   COLCHIS  67 

He  grew  in  strength  and  beauty  in  her  charge.  And  little 
Demophoon  was  not  nourished  as  other  children  are  nourished, 
but  even  as  the  gods  in  their  childhood  were  nourished.  De- 
meter  fed  him  on  ambrosia,  breathing  on  him  with  her  divine 
breath  the  while.  And  at  night  she  laid  him  on  the  hearth, 
amongst  the  embers,  with  the  fire  all  around  him.  This  she 
did  that  she  might  make  him  immortal,  and  like  to  the  gods. 

But  one  night  Metaneira  looked  out  from  the  chamber  where 
she  lay,  and  she  saw  the  nurse  take  little  Demophoon  and  lay 
him  in  a  place  on  the  hearth  with  the  burning  brands  all  around 
him.  Then  Metaneira  started  up,  and  she  sprang  to  the  hearth, 
and  she  snatched  the  child  from  beside  the  burning  brands. 
" Demophoon,  my  son,"  she  cried,  "what  would  this  stranger- 
woman  do  to  you,  bringing  bitter  grief  to  me  that  ever  I  let 
her  take  you  in  her  arms?" 

Then  said  Demeter:  "Foolish  indeed  are  you  mortals,  and 
not  able  to  foresee  what  is  to  come  to  you  of  good  or  of  evil! 
Foolish  indeed  are  you,  Metaneira,  for  in  your  heedlessness  you 
have  cut  off  this  child  from  an  immortality  like  to  the  immor- 
tality of  the  gods  themselves.  For  he  had  lain  in  my  bosom 
and  had  become  dear  to  me  and  I  would  have  bestowed  upon 
him  the  greatest  gift  that  the  Divine  Ones  can  bestow,  for  I 
would  have  made  him  deathless  and  unaging.  All  this,  now, 
has  gone  by.  Honor  he  shall  have  indeed,  but  Demophoon 
will  know  age  and  death." 

The   seeming  old  age  that  was  upon  her  had  fallen  from 


68  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Demeter;  beauty  and  stature  were  hers,  and  from  her  robe 
there  came  a  heavenly  fragrance.  There  came  such  light  from 
her  body  that  the  chamber  shone.  Metaneira  remained  trem- 
bling and  speechless,  unmindful  even  to  take  up  the  child  that 
had  been  laid  upon  the  ground. 

It  was  then  that  his  sisters  heard  Demophoon  wail;  one  ran 
from  her  chamber  and  took  the  child  in  her  arms;  another 
kindled  again  the  fire  upon  the  hearth,  and  the  others  made 
ready  to  bathe  and  care  for  the  infant.  All  night  they  cared 
for  him,  holding  him  in  their  arms  and  at  their  breasts,  but 
the  child  would  not  be  comforted,  becauses  the  nurses  who 
handled  him  now  were  less  skillful  than  was  the  goddess-nurse. 

And  as  for  Demeter,  ane  left  the  house  of  Celeus  and  went 
upon  her  way,  lonely  in  her  heart,  and  unappeased.  And  in 
the  world  that  she  wandered  through,  the  plow  went  in  vain 
through  the  ground ;  the  furrow  was  sown  without  any  avail,  and 
the  race  of  men  saw  themselves  near  perishing  for  lack  of  bread. 

But  again  Demeter  came  near  the  Well  of  the  Maiden.  She 
thought  of  the  daughters  of  Celeus  as  they  came  toward  the  well 
that  day,  the  bronze  pitchers  in  their  hands,  and  with  kind  looks 
for  the  stranger  —  she  thought  of  them  as  she  sat  by  the  well 
again.  And  then  she  thought  of  little  Demophoon,  the  child 
she  had  held  at  her  breast.  No  stir  of  living  was  in  the  land 
near  their  home,  and  only  weeds  grew  in  their  fields.  As  she 
sat  there  and  looked  around  her  there  came  into  Demeter's 
heart  a  pity  for  the  people  in  whose  house  she  had  dwelt. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  69 

She  rose  up  and  she  went  to  the  house  of  Celeus.  She 
found  him  beside  his  house  measuring  out  a  little  grain.  The 
goddess  went  to  him  and  she  told  him  that  because  of  the  love 
she  bore  his  household  she  would  bless  his  fields  so  that  the 
seed  he  had  sown  in  them  would  come  to  growth.  Celeus  re- 
joiced, and  he  called  all  the  people  together,  and  they  raised  a 
temple  to  Demeter.  She  went  through  the  fields  and  blessed 
them,  and  the  seed  that  they  had  sown  began  to  grow.  And 
the  goddess  for  a  while  dwelt  amongst  that  people,  in  her  temple 
at  Eleusis. 

IV 

But  still  she  kept  away  from  the  assemblies  of  the  gods. 
Zeus  sent  a  messenger  to  her,  Iris  with  the  golden  wings,  bid- 
ding her  to  Olympus.  Demeter  would  not  join  the  Olympians. 
Then,  one  after  the  other,  the  gods  and  goddesses  of  Olympus 
came  to  her;  none  were  able  to  make  her  cease  from  grieving 
for  Persephone,  or  to  go  again  into  the  company  of  the  immortal 
gods. 

And  so  it  came  about  that  Zeus  was  compelled  to  send  a 
messenger  down  to  the  Underworld  to  bring  Persephone  back 
to  the  mother  who  grieved  so  much  for  the  loss  of  her.  Hermes 
was  the  messenger  whom  Zeus  sent.  Through  the  darkened 
places  of  the  earth  Hermes  went,  and  he  came  to  that  dark 
throne  where  the  lord  Aidoneus  sat,  with  Persephone  beside  him. 
Then  Hermes  spoke  to  the  lord  of  the  Underworld,  saying 


70  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

that  Zeus  commanded  that  Persephone  should  come  forth  from 
the  Underworld  that  her  mother  might  look  upon  her. 

Then  Persephone,  hearing  the  words  of  Zeus  that  might  not 
be  gainsaid,  uttered  the  only  cry  that  had  left  her  lips  since 
she  had  sent  out  that  cry  that  had  reached  her  mother's  heart. 
And  Aidoneus,  hearing  the  command  of  Zeus  that  might  not 
be  denied,  bowed  his  dark,  majestic  head. 

She  might  go  to  the  Upperworld  and  rest  herself  in  the  arms 
of  her  mother,  he  said.  And  then  he  cried  out :  "  Ah,  Persephone, 
strive  to  feel  kindliness  in  your  heart  toward  me  who  carried 
you  off  by  violence  and  against  your  will.  I  can  give  to  you  one 
of  the  great  kingdoms  that  the  Olympians  rule  over.  And  I, 
who  am  brother  to  Zeus,  am  no  unfitting  husband  for  you, 
Demeter's  child." 

So  Aidoneus,  the  dark  lord  of  the  Underworld  said,  and  he 
made  ready  the  iron  chariot  with  its  deathless  horses  that  Per- 
sephone might  go  up  from  his  kingdom. 

Beside  the  single  tree  in  his  domain  Aidoneus  stayed  the 
chariot.  A  single  fruit  grew  on  that  tree,  a  bright  pomegranate 
fruit.  Persephone  stood  up  in  the  chariot  and  plucked  the 
fruit  from  the  tree.  Then  did  Aidoneus  prevail  upon  her  to 
divide  the  fruit,  and,  having  divided  it,  Persephone  ate  seven 
of  the  pomegranate  seeds. 

It  was  Hermes  who  took  the  whip  and  the  reins  of  the  chariot. 
He  drove  on,  and  neither  the  sea  nor  the  water-courses,  nor 
the  glens  nor  the  mountain  peaks  stayed  the  deathless  horses  of 


THE  VOYAGE  TO   COLCHIS  71 

Aidoneus,  and  soon  the  chariot  was  brought  near  to  where 
Demeter  awaited  the  coming  of  her  daughter. 

And  when,  from  a  hilltop,  Demeter  saw  the  chariot  approach- 
ing, she  flew  like  a  wild  bird  to  clasp  her  child.  Persephone, 
when  she  saw  her  mother's  dear  eyes,  sprang  out  of  the  chariot 
and  fell  upon  her  neck  and  embraced  her.  Long  and  long 
Demeter  held  her  dear  child  in  her  arms,  gazing,  gazing  upon 
her.  Suddenly  her  mind  misgave  her.  With  a  great  fear  at 
her  heart  she  cried  out:  " Dearest,  has  any  food  passed  your 
lips  in  all  the  time  you  have  been  in  the  Underworld? " 

She  had  not  tasted  food  in  all  the  time  she  was  there,  Per- 
sephone said.  And  then,  suddenly,  she  remembered  the  pome- 
granate that  Aidoneus  had  asked  her  to  divide.  When  she  told 
that  she  had  eaten  seven  seeds  from  it  Demeter  wept,  and  her 
tears  fell  upon  Persephone's  face. 

"Ah,  my  dearest,"  she  cried,  "if  you  had  not  eaten  the 
pomegranate  seeds  you  could  have  stayed  with  me,  and  always 
we  should  have  been  together.  But  now  that  you  have  eaten 
food  in  it,  the  Underworld  has  a  claim  upon  you.  You  may 
not  stay  always  with  me  here.  Again  you  will  have  to  go  back 
and  dwell  in  the  dark  places  under  the  earth  and  sit  upon  Aido- 
neus's  throne.  But  not  always  you  will  be  there.  When  the 
flowers  bloom  upon  the  earth  you  shall  come  up  from  the  realm 
of  darkness,  and  in  great  joy  we  shall  go  through  the  world 
together,  Demeter  and  Persephone." 

And  so  it  has  been  since  Persephone  came  back  to  her  mother 


72  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

after  having  eaten  of  the  pomegranate  seeds.  For  two  seasons 
of  the  year  she  stays  with  Demeter,  and  for  one  season  she 
stays  in  the  Underworld  with  her  dark  lord.  While  she  is 
with  her  mother  there  is  springtime  upon  the  earth.  Demeter 
blesses  the  furrows,  her  heart  being  glad  because  her  daughter 
is  with  her  once  more.  The  furrows  become  heavy  with  grain, 
and  soon  the  whole  wide  earth  has  grain  and  fruit,  leaves  and 
flowers.  When  the  furrows  are  reaped,  when  the  grain  has 
been  gathered,  when  the  dark  season  comes,  Persephone  goes 
from  her  mother,  and  going  down  into  the  dark  places,  she  sits 
beside  her  mighty  lord  Aidoneus  and  upon  his  throne.  Not  sor- 
rowful is  she  there;  she  sits  with  head  unbowed,  for  she  knows 
herself  to  be  a  mighty  queen.  She  has  joy,  too,  knowing  of 
the  seasons  when  she  may  walk  with  Demeter,  her  mother,  on 
the  wide  places  of  the  earth,  through  fields  of  flowers  and  fruit 
and  ripening  grain. 

Such  was  the  story  that  Orpheus  told  —  Orpheus  who  knew 
the  histories  of  the  gods. 

A  day  came  when  the  heroes,  on  their  way  back  from  a  journey 
they  had  made  with  the  Lemnian  maidens,  called  out  to  Her- 
acles upon  the  Argo.  Then  Heracles,  standing  on  the  prow  of 
the  ship,  shouted  angrily  to  them.  Terrible  did  he  seem  to 
the  Lemnian  maidens,  and  they  ran  off,  drawing  the  heroes 
with  them.  Heracles  shouted  to  his  comrades  again,  saying 
that  if  they  did  not  come  aboard  the  Argo  and  make  ready 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  73 

for  the  voyage  to  Colchis,  he  would  go  ashore  and  carry  them 
to  the  ship,  and  force  them  again  to  take  the  oars  in  their  hands. 
Not  all  of  what  Heracles  said  did  the  Argonauts  hear. 

That  evening  the  men  were  silent  in  Hypsipyle's  hall,  and  it 
was  Atalanta,  the  maiden,  who  told  the  evening's  story. 

ATALANTA'S  RACE 

There  are  two  Atalantas,  she  said;  she  herself,  the  Huntress, 
and  another  who  is  noted  for  her  speed  of  foot  and  her  delight 
in  the  race  —  the  daughter  of  Schceneus,  King  of  Bceotia,  Ata- 
lanta of  the  Swift  Foot. 

So  proud  was  she  of  her  swiftness  that  she  made  a  vow  to  the 
gods  that  none  would  be  her  husband  except  the  youth  who 
won  past  her  in  the  race.  Youth  after  youth  came  and  raced 
against  her,  but  Atalanta,  who  grew  fleeter  and  fleeter  of  foot, 
left  each  one  of  them  far  behind  her.  The  youths  who  came  to 
the  race  were  so  many  and  the  clamor  they  made  after  defeat 
was  so  great,  that  her  father  made  a  law  that,  as  he  thought, 
would  lessen  their  number.  The  law  that  he  made  was  that 
the  youth  who  came  to  race  against  Atalanta  and  who  lost  the 
race  should  lose  his  life  into  the  bargain.  After  that  the  youths 
who  had  care  for  their  lives  stayed  away  from  Bceotia. 

Once  there  came  a  youth  from  a  far  part  of  Greece  into  the 
country  that  Atalanta's  father  ruled  over.  Hippomenes  was 
his  name.     He  did  not  know  of  the  race,  but  having  come  into 


74  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

the  city  and  seeing  the  crowd  of  people,  he  went  with  them  to 
the  course.  He  looked  upon  the  youths  who  were  girded  for 
the  race,  and  he  heard  the  folk  say  amongst  themselves,  "Poor 
youths,  as  mighty  and  as  high-spirited  as  they  look,  by  sunset 
the  life  will  be  out  of  each  of  them,  for  Atalanta  will  run  past 
them  as  she  ran  past  the  others."  Then  Hippomenes  spoke  to 
the  folk  in  wonder,  and  they  told  him  of  Atalanta 's  race  and  of 
what  would  befall  the  youths  who  were  defeated  in  it.  "Un- 
lucky youths,"  cried  Hippomenes,  "how  foolish  they  are  to 
try  to  win  a  bride  at  the  price  of  their  lives." 

Then,  with  pity  in  his  heart,  he  watched  the  youths  prepare 
for  the  race.  Atalanta  had  not  yet  taken  her  place,  and  he  was 
fearful  of  looking  upon  her.  "  She  is  a  witch,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"she  must  be  a  witch  to  draw  so  many  youths  to  their  deaths,  and 
she,  no  doubt,  will  show  in  her  face  and  figure  the  witch's  spirit." 

But  even  as  he  said  this,  Hippomenes  saw  Atalanta.  She 
stood  with  the  youths  before  they  crouched  for  the  first  dart 
in  the  race.  He  saw  that  she  was  a  girl  of  a  light  and  a  lovely 
form.  Then  they  crouched  for  the  race;  then  the  trumpets 
rang  out,  and  the  youths  and  the  maiden  darted  like  swallows 
over  the  sand  of  the  course. 

On  came  Atalanta,  far,  far  ahead  of  the  youths  who  had 
started  with  her.  Over  her  bare  shoulders  her  hair  streamed, 
blown  backward  by  the  wind  that  met  her  flight.  Her  fair 
neck  shone,  and  her  little  feet  were  like  flying  doves.  It  seemed 
to  Hippomenes  as  he  watched  her  that  there  was  fire  in  her 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  75 

lovely  body.  On  and  on  she  went  as  swift  as  the  arrow  that  the 
Scythian  shoots  from  his  bow.  And  as  he  watched  the  race 
he  was  not  sorry  that  the  youths  were  being  left  behind.  Rather 
would  he  have  been  enraged  if  one  came  near  overtaking  her, 
for  now  his  heart  was  set  upon  winning  her  for  his  bride,  and 
he  cursed  himself  for  not  having  entered  the  race. 

She  passed  the  last  goal  mark  and  she  was  given  the  victor's 
wreath  of  flowers.  Hippomenes  stood  and  watched  her  and  he 
did  not  see  the  youths  who  had  started  with  her  —  they  had 
thrown  themselves  on  the  ground  in  their  despair. 

Then  wild,  as  though  he  were  one  of  the  doomed  youths, 
Hippomenes  made  his  way  through  the  throng  and  came  before 
the  black-bearded  King  of  Bceotia.  The  king's  brows  were 
knit,  for  even  then  he  was  pronouncing  doom  upon  the  youths 
who  had  been  left  behind  in  the  race.  He  looked  upon  Hip- 
pomenes, another  youth  who  would  make  the  trial,  and  the 
frown  became  heavier  upon  his  face. 

But  Hippomenes  saw  only  Atalanta.  She  came  beside  her 
father;  the  wreath  was  upon  her  head  of  gold,  and  her  eyes 
were  wide  and  tender.  She  turned  her  face  to  him,  and  then 
she  knew  by  the  wildness  that  was  in  his  look  that  he  had 
come  to  enter  the  race  with  her.  Then  the  flush  that  was  on 
her  face  died  away,  and  she  shook  her  head  as  if  she  were  im- 
ploring him  to  go  from  that  place. 

The  dark-bearded  king  bent  his  brows  upon  him  and  said, 
" Speak,  O  youth,  speak  and  tell  us  what  brings  you  here." 


76  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Then  cried  Hippomenes  as  if  his  whole  life  were  bursting  out 
with  his  words:  "Why  does  this  maiden,  your  daughter,  seek 
an  easy  renown  by  conquering  weakly  youths  in  the  race? 
She  has  not  striven  yet.  Here  stand  I,  one  of  the  blood  of 
Poseidon,  the  god  of  the  sea.  Should  I  be  defeated  by  her 
in  the  race,  then,  indeed,  might  Atalanta  have  something  to 
boast  of." 

Atalanta  stepped  forward  and  said:  "Do  not  speak  of  it, 
youth.  Indeed  I  think  that  it  is  some  god,  envious  of  your 
beauty  and  your  strength,  who  sent  you  here  to  strive  with 
me  and  to  meet  your  doom.  Ah,  think  of  the  youths  who  have 
striven  with  me  even  now!  Think  of  the  hard  doom  that  is 
about  to  fall  upon  them!  You  venture  your  life  in  the  race, 
but  indeed  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  price.  Go  hence,  O  stranger 
youth,  go  hence  and  live  happily,  for  indeed  I  think  that  there 
is  some  maiden  who  loves  you  well." 

"Nay,  maiden,"  said  Hippomenes,  "I  will  enter  the  race  and 
I  will  venture  my  life  on  the  chance  of  winning  you  for  my 
bride.  What  good  will  my  life  and  my  spirit  be  to  me  if  they 
cannot  win  this  race  for  me?" 

She  drew  away  from  him  then  and  looked  upon  him  no  more, 
but  bent  down  to  fasten  the  sandals  upon  her  feet.  And  the 
black-bearded  king  looked  upon  Hippomenes  and  said,  "Face, 
then,  this  race  to-morrow.  You  will  be  the  only  one  who  will 
enter  it.  But  bethink  thee  of  the  doom  that  awaits  thee  at  the 
end  of  it."    The  king  said  no  more,  and  Hippomenes  went 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  77 

from  him  and  from  Atalanta,  and  he  came  again  to  the  place 
where  the  race  had  been  run. 

He  looked  across  the  sandy  course  with  its  goal  marks,  and 
in  his  mind  he  saw  again  Atalanta's  swift  race.  He  would  not 
meet  doom  at  the  hands  of  the  king's  soldiers,  he  knew,  for  his 
spirit  would  leave  him  with  the  greatness  of  the  effort  he  would 
make  to  reach  the  goal  before  her.  And  he  thought  it  would 
be  well  to  die  in  that  effort  and  on  that  sandy  place  that  was 
so  far  from  his  own  land. 

Even  as  he  looked  across  the  sandy  course  now  deserted  by 
the  throng,  he  saw  one  move  across  it,  coming  toward  him  with 
feet  that  did  not  seem  to  touch  the  ground.  She  was  a  woman 
of  wonderful  presence.  As  Hippomenes  looked  upon  her  he 
knew  that  she  was  Aphrodite,  the  goddess  of  beauty  and  of  love. 

" Hippomenes,"  said  the  immortal  goddess,  "the  gods  are 
mindful  of  you  who  are  sprung  from  one  of  the  gods,  and  I 
am  mindful  of  you  because  of  your  own  worth.  I  have  come 
to  help  you  in  your  race  with  Atalanta,  for  I  would  not  have 
you  slain,  nor  would  I  have  that  maiden  go  unwed.  Give  your 
greatest  strength  and  your  greatest  swiftness  to  the  race,  and 
behold!  here  are  wonders  that  will  prevent  the  fleet-footed 
Atalanta  from  putting  all  her  spirit  into  the  race." 

And  then  the  immortal  goddess  held  out  to  Hippomenes 
a  branch  that  had  upon  it  three  apples  of  shining  gold. 

"In  Cyprus/'  said  the  goddess,  "where  I  have  come  from, 
there  is  a  tree  on  which  these  golden  apples  grow.     Only  I 


78  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

may  pluck  them.  I  have  brought  them  to  you,  Hippomenes, 
Keep  them  in  your  girdle,  and  in  the  race  you  will  find  out 
what  to  do  with  them,  I  think." 

So  Aphrodite  said,  and  then  she  vanished,  leaving  a  fragrance 
in  the  air  and  the  three  shining  apples  in  the  hands  of  Hip- 
pomenes. Long  he  looked  upon  their  brightness.  They  were 
beside  him  that  night,  and  when  he  arose  in  the  dawn  he  put 
them  in  his  girdle.  Then,  before  the  throng,  he  went  to  the 
place  of  the  race. 

When  he  showed  himself  beside  Atalanta  all  around  the 
course  were  silent,  for  they  all  admired  Hippomenes  for  his 
beauty  and  for  the  spirit  that  was  in  his  face;  they  were  silent 
out  of  compassion,  for  they  knew  the  doom  that  befell  the 
youths  who  raced  with  Atalanta. 

And  now  Schceneus,  the  black-bearded  king,  stood  up,  and 
he  spoke  to  the  throng,  saying,  "Hear  me  all,  both  young  and 
old:  this  youth,  Hippomenes,  seeks  to  win  the  race  from  my 
daughter,  winning  her  for  his  bride.  Now,  if  he  be  victorious 
and  escape  death  I  will  give  him  my  dear  child,  Atalanta,  and 
many  fleet  horses  besides  as  gifts  from  me,  and  in  honor  he 
shall  go  back  to  his  native  land.  But  if  he  fail  in  the  race, 
then  he  will  have  to  share  the  doom  that  has  been  meted  out 
to  the  other  youths  who  raced  with  Atalanta  hoping  to  win 
her  for  a  bride." 

Then  Hippomenes  and  Atalanta  crouched  for  the  start. 
The  trumpets  were  sounded  and  they  darted  off. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  79 

Side  by  side  with  Atalanta  Hippomenes  went.  Her  flying 
hair  touched  his  breast,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  they  were 
skimming  the  sandy  course  as  if  they  were  swallows.  But 
then  Atalanta  began  to  draw  away  from  him.  He  saw  her 
ahead  of  him,  and  then  he  began  to  hear  the  words  of  cheer 
that  came  from  the  throng  —  "Bend  to  the  race,  Hippomenes! 
Go  on,  go  on!  Use  your  strength  to  the  utmost."  He  bent 
himself  to  the  race,  but  further  and  further  from  him  Atalanta 
drew. 

Then  it  seemed  to  him  that  she  checked  her  swiftness  a  little 
to  look  back  at  him.  He  gained  on  her  a  little.  And  then  his 
hand  touched  the  apples  that  were  in  his  girdle.  As  it  touched 
them  it  came  into  his  mind  what  to  do  with  the  apples. 

He  was  not  far  from  her  now,  but  already  her  swiftness  was 
drawing  her  further  and  further  away.  He  took  one  of  the 
apples  into  his  hand  and  tossed  it  into  the  air  so  that  it  fell 
on  the  track  before  her. 

Atalanta  saw  the  shining  apple.  She  checked  her  speed  and 
stooped  in  the  race  to  pick  it  up.  And  as  she  stooped  Hip- 
pomenes darted  past  her,  and  went  flying  toward  the  goal  that 
now  was  within  his  sight. 

But  soon  she  was  beside  him  again.  He  looked,  and  he  saw 
that  the  goal  marks  were  far,  far  ahead  of  him.  Atalanta  with 
the  flying  hair  passed  him,  and  drew  away  and  away  from  him. 
He  had  not  speed  to  gain  upon  her  now,  he  thought,  so  he  put 
his  strength  into  his  hand  and  he  flung  the  second  of  the  shin- 


80  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

ing  apples.  The  apple  rolled  before  her  and  rolled  off  the 
course.  Atalanta  turned  off  the  course,  stooped  and  picked  up 
the  apple. 

Then  did  Hippomenes  draw  all  his  spirit  into  his  breast  as  he 
raced  on.  He  was  now  nearer  to  the  goal  than  she  was.  But 
he  knew  that  she  was  behind  him,  going  lightly  where  he  went 
heavily.  And  then  she  was  beside  him,  and  then  she  went 
past  him.  She  paused  in  her  speed  for  a  moment  and  she 
looked  back  on  him. 

As  he  raced  on,  his  chest  seemed  weighted  down  and  his 
throat  was  crackling  dry.  The  goal  marks  were  far  away 
still,  but  Atalanta  was  nearing  them.  He  took  the  last  of  the 
golden  apples  into  his  hand.  Perhaps  she  was  now  so  far  that 
the  strength  of  his  throw  would  not  be  great  enough  to  bring 
the  apple  before  her. 

But  with  all  the  strength  he  could  put  into  his  hand  he  flung 
the  apple.  It  struck  the  course  before  her  feet  and  then  went 
bounding  wide.  Atalanta  swerved  in  her  race  and  followed 
where  the  apple  went.  Hippomenes  marveled  that  he  had  been 
able  to  fling  it  so  far.  He  saw  Atalanta  stoop  to  pick  up  the 
apple,  and  he  bounded  on.  And  then,  although  his  strength 
was  failing,  he  saw  the  goal  marks  near  him.  He  set  his  feet 
between  them  and  then  fell  down  on  the  ground. 

The  attendants  raised  him  up  and  put  the  victors  wreath 
upon  his  head.  The  concourse  of  people  shouted  with  joy  to 
see  him  victor.    But  he  looked  around  for  Atalanta  and  he 


.2. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  81 

saw  her  standing  there  with  the  golden  apples  in  her  hands. 
"He  has  won,"  he  heard  her  say,  "and  I  have  not  to  hate 
myself  for  bringing  a  doom  upon  him.  Gladly,  gladly  do  I 
give  up  the  race,  and  glad  am  I  that  it  is  this  youth  who  has 
won  the  victory  from  me." 

She  took  his  hand  and  brought  him  before  the  king.  Then 
Schceneus,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  rejoicing  people,  gave  Atalanta 
to  Hippomenes  for  his  bride,  and  he  bestowed  upon  him  also 
a  great  gift  of  horses.  With  his  dear  and  hard-won  bride, 
Hippomenes  went  to  his  own  country,  and  the  apples  that  she 
brought  with  her,  the  golden  apples  of  Aphrodite,  were  rever- 
enced by  the  people. 

X.    THE  DEPARTURE  FROM  LEMNOS 

DAY  came  when  Heracles  left  the  Argo 
and  went  on  the  Lemnian  land.  He 
gathered  the  heroes  about  him,  and 
they,  seeing  Heracles  come  amongst  them, 
clamored  to  go  to  hunt  the  wild  bulls 
that  were  inland  from  the  sea. 

So,  for  once,  the  heroes  left  the  Lem- 
nian maidens  who  were  their  friends.  Jason,  too,  left  Hyp- 
sipyle  in  the  palace  and  went  with  Heraues.  And  as  they 
went,  Heracles  spoke  to  each  of  the  hero'  saying  that  they 
were  forgetting  the  Fleece  of  Gold  that  they    ad  sailed  to  gain. 


82  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Jason  blushed  to  think  that  he  had  almost  let  go  out  of  his 
mind  the  quest  that  had  brought  him  from  Iolcus.  And  then 
he  thought  upon  Hypsipyle  and  of  how  her  little  hand  would 
stay  in  his,  and  his  own  hand  became  loose  upon  the  spear 
so  that  it  nearly  fell  from  him.  How  could  he,  he  thought, 
leave  Hypsipyle  and  this  land  of  Lemnos  behind? 

He  heard  the  clear  voice  of  Atalanta  as  she,  too,  spoke  to 
the  Argonauts.  What  Heracles  said  was  brave  and  wise,  said 
Atalanta.  Forge tfulness  would  cover  their  names  if  they  stayed 
longer  in  Lemnos  —  forgetfulness  and  shame,  and  they  would 
come  to  despise  themselves.  Leave  Lemnos,  she  cried,  and 
draw  Argo  into  the  sea,  and  depart  for  Colchis. 

All  day  the  Argonauts  stayed  by  themselves,  hunting  the 
bulls.  On  their  way  back  from  the  chase  they  were  met  by 
Lemnian  maidens  who  carried  wreaths  of  flowers  for  them. 
Very  silent  were  the  heroes  as  the  maidens  greeted  them.  Her- 
acles went  with  Jason  to  the  palace,  and  Hypsipyle,  seeing 
the  mighty  stranger  coming,  seated  herself,  not  on  the  couch 
where  she  was  wont  to  sit  looking  into  the  face  of  Jason,  but 
on  the  stone  throne  of  King  Thoas,  her  father.  And  seated  on 
that  throne  she  spoke  to  Jason  and  to  Heracles  as  a  queen 
might  speak. 

In  the  hall  that  night  the  heroes  and  the  Lemnian  maidens 
who  were  with  them  were  quiet.  A  story  was  told;  Castor 
began  it  and  Polydeuces  ended  it.  And  the  story  that  Helen's 
brothers  told  was: 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  S$ 

THE   GOLDEN  MAID 

Epimetheus  the  Titan  had  a  brother  who  was  the  wisest  of 
all  beings  —  Prometheus  called  the  Foreseer.  But  Epimetheus 
himself  was  slow-witted  and  scatter-brained.  His  wise  brother 
once  sent  him  a  message  bidding  him  beware  of  the  gifts  that 
Zeus  might  send  him.  Epimetheus  heard,  but  he  did  not  heed 
the  warning,  and  thereby  he  brought  upon  the  race  of  men 
troubles  and  cares. 

Prometheus,  the  wise  Titan,  had  saved  men  from  a  great 
trouble  that  Zeus  would  have  brought  upon  them.  Also  he 
had  given  them  the  gift  of  fire.  Zeus  was  the  more  wroth  with 
men  now  because  fire,  stolen  from  him,  had  been  given  them; 
he  was  wroth  with  the  race  of  Titans,  too,  and  he  pondered  in 
his  heart  how  he  might  injure  men,  and  how  he  might  use 
Epimetheus,  the  mindless  Titan,  to  further  his  plan. 

While  he  pondered  there  was  a  hush  on  high  Olympus,  the 
mountain  of  the  gods.  Then  Zeus  called  upon  the  artisan  of 
the  gods,  lame  Hephaestus,  and  he  commanded  him  to  make 
a  being  out  of  clay  that  would  have  the  likeness  of  a  lovely 
maiden.  With  joy  and  pride  Hephaestus  worked  at  the  task 
that  had  been  given  him,  and  he  fashioned  a  being  that  had  the 
likeness  of  a  lovely  maiden,  and  he  brought  the  thing  of  his 
making  before  the  gods  and  the  goddesses. 

All  strove  to  add  a  grace  or  a  beauty  to  the  work  of  He- 
phaestus.   Zeus  granted  that  the  maiden  should  see  and  feel. 


84  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Athene  dressed  her  in  garments  that  were  as  lovely  as  flowers. 
Aphrodite,  the  goddess  of  love,  put  a  charm  on  her  lips  and 
in  her  eyes.  The  Graces  put  necklaces  around  her  neck  and 
set  a  golden  crown  upon  her  head.  The  Hours  brought  her  a 
girdle  of  spring  flowers.  Then  the  herald  of  the  gods  gave  her 
speech  that  was  sweet  and  flowing.  All  the  gods  and  goddesses 
had  given  gifts  to  her,  and  for  that  reason  the  maiden  of  He- 
phaestus's  making  was  called  Pandora,  the  All-endowed. 

She  was  lovely,  the  gods  knew;  not  beautiful  as  they  them- 
selves are,  who  have  a  beauty  that  awakens  reverence  rather 
than  love,  but  lovely,  as  flowers  and  bright  waters  and  earthly 
maidens  are  lovely.  Zeus  smiled  to  himself  when  he  looked 
upon  her,  and  he  called  to  Hermes  who  knew  all  the  ways  of 
the  earth,  and  he  put  her  into  the  charge  of  Hermes.  Also  he 
gave  Hermes  a  great  jar  to  take  along;  this  jar  was  Pandora's 
dower. 

Epimetheus  lived  in  a  deep-down  valley.  Now  one  day,  as 
he  was  sitting  on  a  fallen  pillar  in  the  ruined  place  that  was 
now  forsaken  by  the  rest  of  the  Titans,  he  saw  a  pair  coming 
toward  him.  One  had  wings,  and  he  knew  him  to  be  Hermes, 
the  messenger  of  the  gods.  The  other  was  a  maiden.  Epi- 
metheus marveled  at  the  crown  upon  her  head  and  at  her  lovely 
garments.  There  was  a  glint  of  gold  all  around  her.  He  rose 
from  where  he  sat  upon  the  broken  pillar  and  he  stood  to  watch 
the  pair.     Hermes,  he  saw,  was  carrying  by  its  handle  a  great  jar, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  85 

In  wonder  and  delight  he  looked  upon  the  maiden.  Epime- 
theus  had  seen  no  lovely  thing  for  ages.  Wonderful  indeed  was 
this  Golden  Maid,  and  as  she  came  nearer  the  charm  that  was 
on  her  lips  and  in  her  eyes  came  to  the  Earth-born  One,  and 
he  smiled  with  more  and  more  delight. 

Hermes  came  and  stood  before  him.  He  also  smiled,  but  his 
smile  had  something  baleful  in  it.  He  put  the  hands  of  the 
Golden  Maid  into  the  great  soft  hand  of  the  Titan,  and  he 
said,  "0  Epimetheus,  Father  Zeus  would  be  reconciled  with 
thee,  and  as  a  sign  of  his  good  will  he  sends  thee  this  lovely 
goddess  to  be  thy  companion." 

Oh,  very  foolish  was  Epimetheus  the  Earth-born  One!  As 
he  looked  upon  the  Golden  Maid  who  was  sent  by  Zeus  he  lost 
memory  of  the  wars  that  Zeus  had  made  upon  the  Titans  and 
the  Elder  Gods;  he  lost  memory  of  his  brother  chained  by 
Zeus  to  the  rock;  he  lost  memory  of  the  warning  that  his  brother, 
the  wisest  of  all  beings,  had  sent  him.  He  took  the  hands  of 
Pandora,  and  he  thought  of  nothing  at  all  in  all  the  world 
but  her.  Very  far  away  seemed  the  voice  of  Hermes  saying, 
"This  jar,  too,  is  from  Olympus;  it  has  in  it  Pandora's  dower." 

The  jar  stood  forgotten  for  long,  and  green  plants  grew  over 
it  while  Epimetheus  walked  in  the  garden  with  the  Golden  Maid, 
or  watched  her  while  she  gazed  on  herself  in  the  stream,  or 
searched  in  the  untended  places  for  the  fruits  that  the  Elder 
Gods  would  eat,  when  the}7  feasted  with  the  Titans  in  the  old 
days,  before  Zeus  had  come  to  his  power.    And  lost  to  Epime- 


86  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

theus  was  the  memory  of  his  brother  now  suffering  upon  the 
rock  because  of  the  gift  he  had  given  to  men. 

And  Pandora,  knowing  nothing  except  the  brightness  of  the 
sunshine  and  the  lovely  shapes  and  colors  of  things  and  the 
sweet  taste  of  the  fruits  that  Epimetheus  brought  to  her,  could 
have  stayed  forever  in  that  garden. 

But  every  day  Epimetheus  would  think  that  the  men  and 
women  of  the  world  should  be  able  to  talk  to  him  about  this 
maiden  with  the  wonderful  radiance  of  gold,  and  with  the 
lovely  garments,  and  the  marvelous  crown.  And  one  day  he 
took  Pandora  by  the  hand,  and  he  brought  her  out  of  that 
deep-lying  valley,  and  toward  the  homes  of  men.  He  did 
not  forget  the  jar  that  Hermes  had  left  with  her.  All  things 
that  belonged  to  the  Golden  Maid  were  precious,  and  Epi- 
metheus took  the  jar  along. 

The  race  of  men  at  the  time  were  simple  and  content.  Their 
days  were  passed  in  toil,  but  now,  since  Prometheus  had  given 
them  fire,  they  had  good  fruits  of  their  toil.  They  had  well- 
shaped  tools  to  dig  the  earth  and  to  build  houses.  Their  homes 
were  warmed  with  fire,  and  fire  burned  upon  the  altars  that  were 
upon  their  ways. 

Greatly  they  reverenced  Prometheus,  who  had  given  them 
fire,  and  greatly  they  reverenced  the  race  of  the  Titans.  So 
when  Epimetheus  came  amongst  them,  tall  as  a  man  walking 
with  stilts,  they  welcomed  him  and  brought  him  and  the  Golden 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  87 

Maid  to  their  hearths.  And  Epimetheus  showed  Pandora  the 
wonderful  element  that  his  brother  had  given  to  men,  and  she 
rejoiced  to  see  the  fire,  clapping  her  hands  with  delight.  The 
jar  that  Epimetheus  brought  he  left  in  an  open  place. 

In  carrying  it  up  the  rough  ways  out  of  the  valley  Epime- 
theus may  have  knocked  the  jar  about,  for  the  lid  that  had 
been  tight  upon  it  now  fitted  very  loosely.  But  no  one  gave 
heed  to  the  jar  as  it  stood  in  the  open  space  where  Epimetheus 
had  left  it. 

At  first  the  men  and  women  looked  upon  the  beauty  of  Pan- 
dora, upon  her  lovely  dresses,  and  her  golden  crown  and  her 
girdle  of  flowers,  with  wonder  and  delight.  Epimetheus  would 
have  every  one  admire  and  praise  her.  The  men  would  leave 
off  working  in  the  fields,  or  hammering  on  iron,  or  building 
houses,  and  the  women  would  leave  off  spinning  or  weaving, 
and  come  at  his  call,  and  stand  about  and  admire  the  Golden 
Maid.  But  as  time  went  by  a  change  came  upon  the  women: 
one  woman  would  weep,  and  another  would  look  angry,  and 
a  third  would  go  back  sullenly  to  her  work  when  Pandora  was 
admired  or  praised. 

Once  the  women  were  gathered  together,  and  one  who  was 
the  wisest  amongst  them  said:  "Once  we  did  not  think  about 
ourselves,  and  we  were  content.  But  now  we  think  about  our- 
selves, and  we  say  to  ourselves  that  we  are  harsh  and  ill-favored 
indeed  compared  to  the  Golden  Maid  that  the  Titan  is  so  en- 
chanted with.     And  we  hate  to  see  our  own  men  praise  and 

■ 


88  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

admire  her,  and  often,  in  our  hearts,  we  would  destroy  her  if  we 
could." 

"That  is  true/'  the  women  said.  And  then  a  young  woman 
cried  out  in  a  most  yearnful  voice,  uO  tell  us,  you  who  are 
wise,  how  can  we  make  ourselves  as  beautiful  as  Pandora!" 

Then  said  that  woman  who  was  thought  to  be  wise,  "This 
Golden  Maid  is  lovely  to  look  upon  because  she  has  lovely 
apparel  and  all  the  means  of  keeping  herself  lovely.  The  gods 
have  given  her  the  ways,  and  so  her  skin  remains  fair,  and  her 
hair  keeps  its  gold,  and  her  lips  are  ever  red  and  her  eyes  shining. 
And  I  think  that  the  means  that  she  has  of  keeping  lovely  are 
all  in  that  jar  that  Epimetheus  brought  with  her." 

When  the  woman  who  was  thought  to  be  wise  said  this, 
those  around  her  were  silent  for  a  while.  But  then  one  arose 
and  another  arose,  and  they  stood  and  whispered  together,  one 
saying  to  the  other  that  they  should  go  to  the  place  where  the 
jar  had  been  left  by  Epimetheus,  and  that  they  should  take 
out  of  it  the  salves  and  the  charms  and  the  washes  that  would 
leave  them  as  beautiful  as  Pandora. 

So  the  women  went  to  that  place.  On  their  way  they  stopped 
at  a  pool  and  they  bent  over  to  see  themselves  mirrored  in  it, 
and  they  saw  themselves  with  dusty  and  unkempt  hair,  with 
large  and  knotted  hands,  with  troubled  eyes,  and  with  anxious 
mouths.  They  frowned  as  they  looked  upon  their  images,  and 
they  said  in  harsh  voices  that  in  a  while  they  would  have  ways 
of  making  themselves  as  lovely  as  the  Golden  Maid. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  89 

And  as  they  went  on  they  saw  Pandora.  She  was  playing 
in  a  flowering  field,  while  Epimetheus,  high  as  a  man  upon  stilts, 
went  gathering  the  blossoms  of  the  bushes  for  her.  They  went 
on,  and  they  came  at  last  to  the  place  where  Epimetheus  had 
left  the  jar  that  held  Pandora's  dower. 

A  great  stone  jar  it  was;  there  was  no  bird,  nor  flower,  nor 
branch  painted  upon  it.  It  stood  high  as  a  woman's  shoulder. 
And  as  the  women  looked  on  it  they  thought  that  there  were 
things  enough  in  it  to  keep  them  beautiful  for  all  the  days  of 
their  lives.  But  each  one  thought  that  she  should  not  be  the 
last  to  get  her  hands  into  it. 

Once  the  lid  had  been  fixed  tightly  down  on  the  jar.  But 
the  lid  was  shifted  a  little  now.  As  the  hands  of  the  women 
grasped  it  to  take  off  the  lid  the  jar  was  cast  down,  and  the 
things  that  were  inside  spilled  themselves  forth. 

They  were  black  and  gray  and  red;  they  were  crawling  and 
flying  things.  And,  as  the  women  looked,  the  things  spread 
themselves  abroad  or  fastened  themselves  upon  them. 

The  jar,  like  Pandora  herself,  had  been  made  and  filled  out 
of  the  ill  will  of  Zeus.  And  it  had  been  filled,  not  with  salves 
and  charms  and  washes,  as  the  women  had  thought,  but  with 
Cares  and  Troubles.  Before  the  women  came  to  it  one  Trouble 
had  already  come  forth  from  the  jar  —  Self-thought  that  was 
upon  the  top  of  the  heap.  It  was  Self -thought  that  had  afflicted 
the  women,  making  them  troubled  about  their  own  looks,  and 
envious  of  the  graces  of  the  Golden  Maid. 


90  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

And  now  the  others  spread  themselves  out  —  Sickness  ana 
War  and  Strife  between  friends.  They  spread  themselves 
abroad  and  entered  the  houses,  while  Epimetheus,  the  mindless 
Titan,  gathered  flowers  for  Pandora,  the  Golden  Maid. 

Lest  she  should  weary  of  her  play  he  called  to  her.  He 
would  take  her  into  the  houses  of  men.  As  they  drew  near  to 
the  houses  they  saw  a  woman  seated  on  the  ground,  weeping; 
her  husband  had  suddenly  become  hard  to  her  and  had  shut 
the  door  on  her  face.  They  came  upon  a  child  crying  because 
of  a  pain  that  he  could  not  understand.  And  then  they  found 
two  men  struggling,  their  strife  being  on  account  of  a  posses- 
sion that  they  had  both  held  peaceably  before. 

In  every  house  they  went  to  Epimetheus  would  say,  "I  am 
the  brother  of  Prometheus,  who  gave  you  the  gift  of  fire."  But 
instead  of  giving  them  a  welcome  the  men  would  say,  "We 
know  nothing  about  your  relation  to  Prometheus.  We  see  you 
as  a  foolish  man  upon  stilts." 

Epimetheus  was  troubled  by  the  hard  looks  and  the  cold 
words  of  the  men  who  once  had  reverenced  him.  He  turned 
from  the  houses  and  went  away.  In  a  quiet  place  he  sat  down, 
and  for  a  while  he  lost  sight  of  Pandora.  And  then  it  seemed 
to  him  that  he  heard  the  voice  of  his  wise  and  suffering  brother 
saying,  "Do  not  accept  any  gift  that  Zeus  may  send  you." 

He  rose  up  and  he  hurried  away  from  that  place,  leaving 
Pandora  playing  by  herself.  There  came  into  his  scattered 
mind  Regret  and  Fear.     As  he  went  on  he  stumbled.    He  fell 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  91 

from  the  edge  of  a  cliff,  and  the  sea  washed  away  the  body 
of  the  mindless  brother  of  Prometheus. 

Not  everything  had  been  spilled  out  of  the  jar  that  had  been 
brought  with  Pandora  into  the  world  of  men.  A  beautiful,  living 
thing  was  in  that  jar  also.  This  was  Hope.  And  this  beauti- 
ful, living  thing  had  got  caught  under  the  rim  of  the  jar  and 
had  not  come  forth  with  the  others.  One  day  a  weeping  woman 
found  Hope  under  the  rim  of  Pandora's  jar  and  brought  this 
living  thing  into  the  house  of  men.  And  now  because  of  Hope 
they  could  see  an  end  to  their  troubles.  And  the  men  and 
women  roused  themselves  in  the  midst  of  their  afflictions  and 
they  looked  toward  gladness.  Hope,  that  had  been  caught  under 
the  rim  of  the  jar,  stayed  behind  the  thresholds  of  their  houses. 

As  for  Pandora,  the  Golden  Maid,  she  played  on,  knowing 
only  the  brightness  of  the  sunshine  and  the  lovely  shapes  of 
things.  Beautiful  would  she  have  seemed  to  any  being  who 
saw  her,  but  now  she  had  strayed  away  from  the  houses  of 
men  and  Epimetheus  was  not  there  to  look  upon  her.  Then 
Hephaestus,  the  lame  artisan  of  the  gods,  left  down  his  tools 
and  went  to  seek  her.  He  found  Pandora,  and  he  took  her 
back  to  Olympus.  And  in  his  brazen  house  she  stays,  though 
i  sometimes  at  the  will  of  Zeus  she  goes  down  into  the  world 
of  men. 

When  Polydeuces  had  ended  the  story  that  Castor  had  begun, 
Heracles  cried  out:    "For  the  Argonauts,  too,  there  has  been 


92  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

a  Golden  Maid  —  nay,  not  one,  but  a  Golden  Maid  for  each. 
Out  of  the  jar  that  has  been  with  her  ye  have  taken  forget- 
fulness  of  your  honor.  As  for  me,  I  go  back  to  the  Argo  lest 
one  of  these  Golden  Maids  should  hold  me  back  from  the  labors 
that  make  great  a  man." 

So  Heracles  said,  and  he  went  from  Hypsipyle's  hall.  The 
heroes  looked  at  each  other,  and  they  stood  up,  and  shame 
that  they  had  stayed  so  long  away  from  the  quest  came  over 
each  of  them.  The  maidens  took  their  hands;  the  heroes 
unloosed  those  soft  hands  and  turned  away  from  them. 

Hypsipyle  left  the  throne  of  King  Thoas  and  stood  before 
Jason.  There  was  a  storm  in  all  her  body;  her  mouth  was 
shaken,  and  a  whole  life's  trouble  was  in  her  great  eyes.  Before 
she  spoke  Jason  cried  out:  "What  Heracles  said  is  true,  O 
Argonauts!  On  the  Quest  of  the  Golden  Fleece  our  lives  and 
our  honors  depend.    To  Colchis  —  to  Colchis  must  we  go!  " 

He  stood  upright  in  the  hall,  and  his  comrades  gathered 
around  him.  The  Lemnian  maidens  would  have  held  out  their 
arms  and  would  have  made  their  partings  long  delayed,  but 
that  a  strange  cry  came  to  them  through  the  night.  Well  did 
the  Argonauts  know  that  cry  —  it  was  the  cry  of  the  ship,  of 
Argo  herself.  They  knew  that  they  must  go  to  her  now  or 
stay  from  the  voyage  for  ever.  And  the  maidens  knew  that 
there  was  something  in  the  cry  of  the  ship  that  might  not  be 
gainsaid,  and  they  put  their  hands  before  their  faces,  and  they 
said  no  other  word. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  93 

Then  said  Hypsipyle,  the  queen,  "I,  too,  am  a  ruler,  Jason, 
and  I  know  that  there  are  great  commands  that  we  have  to 
obey.  Go,  then,  to  the  Argo.  Ah;  neither  I  nor  the  women  of 
Lemnos  will  stay  your  going  now  But  to-morrow  speak  to 
us  from  the  deck  of  the  ship  and  bid  us  farewell.  Do  not  go 
from  us  in  the  night,  Jason." 

Jason  and  the  Argonauts  went  from  Hypsipyle's  hall.  The 
maidens  who  were  left  behind  wept  together.  All  but  Hyp- 
sipyle. She  sat  on  the  throne  of  King  Thoas  and  she  had 
Polyxo,  her  nurse,  tell  her  of  the  ways  of  Jason's  voyage  as 
he  had  told  of  them,  and  of  all  that  he  would  have  to  pass 
through.  When  the  other  Lemnian  women  slept  she  put  her 
head  upon  her  nurse's  knees  and  wept;  bitterly  Hypsipyle  wept, 
but  softly,  for  she  would  not  have  the  others  hear  her  weeping. 

By  the  coming  of  the  morning's  light  the  Argonauts  had 
made  all  ready  for  their  sailing.  They  were  standing  on  the 
deck  when  the  light  came,  and  they  saw  the  Lemnian  women 
come  to  the  shore.  Each  looked  at  her  friend  aboard  the 
Argoy  and  spoke,  and  went  away.  And  last,  Hypsipyle,  the 
queen,  came.  "Farewell,  Hypsipyle,"  Jason  said  to  her,  and 
she,  in  her  strange  way  of  speaking,  said: 

"What  you  told  us  I  have  remembered  —  how  you  will 
come  to  the  dangerous  passage  that  leads  into  the  Sea  of 
Pontus,  and  how  by  the  flight  of  a  pigeon  you  will  know 
whether   or   not  you   may  go   that   way.     O   Jason,   let  the 


94  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

dove   you  fly  when  you   come  to   that  dangerous   place  be 
Hypsipyle's." 

She  showed  a  pigeon  held  in  her  hands.  She  loosed  it,  and 
the  pigeon  alighted  on  the  ship,  and  stayed  there  on  pink  feet, 
a  white-feathered  pigeon.  Jason  took  up  the  pigeon  and  held 
it  in  his  hands,  and  the  Argo  drew  swiftly  away  from  the  Lem- 
nian  land. 

XL    THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  SYMPLEGADES 

HEY  came  near  Salmydessus,  where 
Phineus,  the  wise  king,  ruled,  and  they 
sailed  past  it;  they  sighted  the  pile  of 
stones,  with  the  oar  upright  upon  it 
that  they  had  raised  on  the  seashore 
over  the  body  of  Tiphys,  the  skillful 
steersman  whom  they  had  lost;  they 
sailed  on  until  they  heard  a  sound  that  grew  more  and  more 
thunderous,  and  then  the  heroes  said  to  each  other,  "Now 
we  come  to  the  Symplegades  and  the  dread  passage  into  the 
Sea  of  Pontus." 

It  was  then  that  Jason  cried  out:  "Ah,  when  Pelias  spoke 
of  this  quest  to  me,  why  did  I  not  turn  my  head  away  and 
refuse  to  be  drawn  into  it?  Since  we  came  near  the  dread 
passage  that  is  before  us  I  have  passed  every  night  in  groans. 
As  for  you  who  have  come  with  me,  you  may  take  your  ease, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  95 

for  you  need  care  only  for  your  own  lives.  But  I  have  to  care 
for  you  all,  and  to  strive  to  win  for  you  all  a  safe  return  to 
Greece.  Ah,  greatly  am  I  afflicted  now,  knowing  to  what  a  great 
peril  I  have  brought  you!" 

So  Jason  said,  thinking  to  make  trial  of  the  heroes.  They, 
on  their  part,  were  not  dismayed,  but  shouted  back  cheerful 
words  to  him.  Then  he  said:  "0  friends  of  mine,  by  your 
spirit  my  spirit  is  quickened.  Now  if  I  knew  that  I  was  being 
borne  down  into  the  black  gulfs  of  Hades,  I  should  fear  noth- 
ing, knowing  that  you  are  constant  and  faithful  of  heart." 

As  he  said  this  they  came  into  water  that  seethed  all  around 
the  ship.  Then  into  the  hands  of  Euphemus,  a  youth  of  Iolcus, 
who  was  the  keenest-eyed  amongst  the  Argonauts,  Jason  put 
the  pigeon  that  Hypsipyle  had  given  him.  He  bade  him  stand 
by  the  prow  of  the  Argo,  ready  to  loose  the  pigeon  as  the  ship 
came  nigh  that  dreadful  gate  of  rock. 

They  saw  the  spray  being  dashed  around  in  showers;  they 
saw  the  sea  spread  itself  out  in  foam;  they  saw  the  high,  black 
rocks  rush  together,  sounding  thunderously  as  they  met.  The 
caves  in  the  high  rocks  rumbled  as  the  sea  surged  into  them, 
and  the  foam  of  the  dashing  waves  spurted  high  up  the  rocks. 

Jason  shouted  to  each  man  to  grip  hard  on  the  oars.  The 
Argo  dashed  on  as  the  rocks  rushed  toward  each  other  again. 
Then  there  was  such  noise  that  no  man's  voice  could  be  heard 
above  it. 

As  the  rocks  met,  Euphemus  loosed  the  pigeon.    With  his 


96  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

keen  eyes  he  watched  her  fly  through  the  spray.  Would  she, 
not  rinding  an  opening  to  fly  through,  turn  back?  He  watched, 
and  meanwhile  the  Argonauts  gripped  hard  on  the  oars  to 
save  the  ship  from  being  dashed  on  the  rocks.  The  pigeon 
fluttered  as  though  she  would  sink  down  and  let  the  spray 
drown  her.  And  then  Euphemus  saw  her  raise  herself  and  fly 
forward.  Toward  the  place  where  she  had  flown  he  pointed. 
The  rowers  gave  a  loud  cry,  and  Jason  called  upon  them  to 
pull  with  might  and  main. 

The  rocks  were  parting  asunder,  and  to  the  right  and  left 
broad  Pontus  was  seen  by  the  heroes.  Then  suddenly  a  huge 
wave  rose  before  them,  and  at  the  sight  of  it  they  all  uttered 
a  cry  and  bent  their  heads.  It  seemed  to  them  that  it  would 
dash  down  on  the  whole  ship's  length  and  overwhelm  them  all. 
But  Nauplius  was  quick  to  ease  the  ship,  and  the  wave  rolled 
away  beneath  the  keel,  and  at  the  stern  it  raised  the  Argo 
and  dashed  her  away  from  the  rocks. 

They  felt  the  sun  as  it  streamed  upon  them  through  the  sun- 
dered rocks.  They  strained  at  the  oars  until  the  oars  bent  like 
bows  in  their  hands.  The  ship  sprang  forward.  Surely  they 
were  now  in  the  wide  Sea  of  Pontus! 

The  Argonauts  shouted.  They  saw  the  rocks  behind  them 
with  the  sea  fowl  screaming  upon  them.  Surely  they  were  in 
the  Sea  of  Pontus  —  the  sea  that  had  never  been  entered  be- 
fore through  the  Rocks  Wandering.  The  rocks  no  longer  dashed 
together;  each  remained  fixed  in  its  place,  for  it  ^as  the  will  of 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  97 

the  gods  that  these  rocks  should  no  more  clash  together  after 
a  mortal's  ship  had  passed  between  them. 

They  were  now  in  the  Sea  of  Pontus,  the  sea  into  which  flowed 
the  river  that  Colchis  was  upon  —  the  River  Phasis.  And  now 
above  Jason's  head  the  bird  of  peaceful  days,  the  Halcyon, 
fluttered,  and  the  Argonauts  knew  that  this  was  a  sign  from 
the  gods  that  the  voyage  would  not  any  more  be  troublous. 

XII.    THE  MOUNTAIN  CAUCASUS 

HEY  rested  in  the  harbor  of  Thynias, 
the  desert  island,  and  sailing  from  there 
they  came  to  the  land  of  the  Marian- 
dyni,  a  people  who  were  constantly  at 
war  with  the  Bebrycians;  there  the  hero 
Poly  deuces  was  welcomed  as  a  god. 
Twelve  days  afterward  they  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  River  Callichorus;  then  they  came  to  the  mouth 
of  that  river  that  flows  through  the  land  of  the  Amazons,  the 
River  Thermodon.  Fourteen  days  from  that  place  brought 
them  to  the  island  that  is  filled  with  the  birds  of  Ares,  the  god 
of  war.  These  birds  dropped  upon  the  heroes  heavy,  pointed 
feathers  that  would  have  pierced  them  as  arrows  if  they  had 
not  covered  themselves  with  their  shields;  then  by  shouting, 
and  by  striking  their  shields  with  their  spears,  they  raised  such 
a  clamor  as  •  <*ove  the  birds  away. 


98  the  golden  fleece 

They  sailed  on,  borne  by  a  gentle  breeze,  until  a  gulf  of  the 
sea  opened  before  them,  and  lo!  a  mountain  that  they  knew 
bore  some  mighty  name.  Orpheus,  looking  on  its  peak  and  its 
crags,  said,  "Lo,  now!  We,  the  Argonauts,  are  looking  upon 
the  mountain  that  is  named  Caucasus!" 

When  he  declared  the  name  the  heroes  all  stood  up  and 
looked  on  the  mountain  with  awe.  And  in  awe  they  cried  out 
a  name,  and  that  name  was  "Prometheus!" 

For  upon  that  mountain  the  Titan  god  was  held,  his  limbs 
bound  upon  the  hard  rocks  by  fetters  of  bronze.  Even  as  the 
Argonauts  looked  toward  the  mountain  a  great  shadow  fell 
upon  their  ship,  and  looking  up  they  saw  a  monstrous  bird 
flying.  The  beat  of  the  bird's  wings  filled  out  the  sail  and 
drove  the  Argo  swiftly  onward.  "It  is  the  bird  sent  by  Zeus," 
Orpheus  said.  "It  is  the  vulture  that  every  day  devours  the 
liver  of  the  Titan  god."  They  cowered  down  on  the  ship  as 
they  heard  that  word  —  all  the  Argonauts  save  Heracles;  he 
stood  upright  and  looked  out  toward  where  the  bird  was  flying. 
Then,  as  the  bird  came  near  to  the  mountain,  the  Argonauts 
heard  a  great  cry  of  anguish  go  up  from  the  rocks. 

"It  is  Prometheus  crying  out  as  the  bird  of  Zeus  flies  down 
upon  him,"  they  said  to  one  another.  Again  they  cowered 
down  on  the  ship,  all  save  Heracles,  who  stayed  looking  toward 
where  the  great  vulture  had  flown. 

The  night  came  and  the  Argonauts  sailed  on  in  silence,  think- 
ing in  awe  of  the  Titan  god  and  of  the  doom  that  Zeus  had 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  99 

inflicted  upon  him.  Then,  as  they  sailed  on  under  the  stars, 
Orpheus  told  them  of  Prometheus,  of  his  gift  to  men,  and  of 
the  fearful  punishment  that  had  been  meted  out  to  him  by  Zeus. 

PROMETHEUS 

The  gods  more  than  once  made  a  race  of  men:  the  first  was 
a  Golden  Race.  Very  close  to  the  gods  who  dwell  on  Olympus 
was  this  Golden  Race;  they  lived  justly  although  there  were  nc 
laws  to  compel  them.  In  the  time  of  the  Golden  Race  the  earth 
knew  only  one  season,  and  that  season  was  everlasting  Spring. 
The  men  and  women  of  the  Golden  Race  lived  through  a  span 
of  life  that  was  far  beyond  that  of  the  men  and  women  of  our 
day,  and  when  they  died  it  was  as  though  sleep  had  become 
everlasting  with  them.  They  had  all  good  things,  and  that 
without  labor,  for  the  earth  without  any  forcing  bestowed  fruits 
and  crops  upon  them.  They  had  peace  all  through  their  lives, 
this  Golden  Race,  and  after  they  had  passed  away  their  spirits 
remained  above  the  earth,  inspiring  the  men  of  the  race  that 
came  after  them  to  do  great  and  gracious  things  and  to  act  justly 
and  kindly  to  one  another. 

After  the  Golden  Race  had  passed  away,  the  gods  made  for 
the  earth  a  second  race  —  a  Silver  Race.  Less  noble  in  spirit 
and  in  body  was  this  Silver  Race,  and  the  seasons  that  visited 
them  were  less  gracious.  In  the  time  of  the  Silver  Race  the 
gods  made   the  seasons  —  Summer  and  Spring,  and  Autumn 


ioo  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

and  Winter.  They  knew  parching  heat,  and  the  bitter  winds 
of  winter,  and  snow  and  rain  and  hail.  It  was  the  men  of  the 
Silver  Race  who  first  built  houses  for  shelter.  They  lived  through 
a  span  of  life  that  was  longer  than  our  span,  but  it  was  not 
long  enough  to  give  wisdom  to  them.  Children  were  brought 
up  at  their  mothers'  sides  for  a  hundred  years,  playing  at  child- 
ish things.  And  when  they  came  to  years  beyond  a  hundred 
they  quarreled  with  one  another,  and  wronged  one  another, 
and  did  not  know  enough  to  give  reverence  to  the  immortal 
gods.  Then,  by  the  will  of  Zeus,  the  Silver  Race  passed  away 
as  the  Golden  Race  had  passed  away.  Their  spirits  stay  in  the 
Underwork,  and  they  are  called  by  men  the  blessed  spirits  of 
the  Underworld. 

And  then  there  was  made  the  third  race  —  the  Race  of  Bronze. 
They  were  a  race  great  of  stature,  terrible  and  strong.  Their 
armor  was  of  bronze,  their  swords  were  of  bronze,  their  imple- 
ments were  of  bronze,  and  of  bronze,  too,  they  made  their 
houses.  No  great  span  of  life  was  theirs,  for  with  the  weapons 
that  they  took  in  their  terrible  hands  they  slew  one  another. 
Thus  they  passed  away,  and  went  down  under  the  earth  to 
Hades,  leaving  no  name  that  men  might  know  them  by. 

Then  the  gods  created  a  fourth  race  —  our  own :  a  Race  of 
Iron.  We  have  not  the  justice  that  was  amongst  the  men  of 
the  Golden  Race,  nor  the  simpleness  that  was  amongst  the  men 
of  the  Silver  Race,  nor  the  stature  nor  the  great  strength  that 
the  men  of  the  Bronze  Race  possessed.     We  are  of  iron  that  we 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  COLCHIS  101 

may  endure.  It  is  our  doom  that  we  must  never  cease  from 
labor  and  that  we  must  very  quickly  grow  old. 

But  miserable  as  we  are  to-day,  there  was  a  time  when  the 
lot  of  men  was  more  miserable.  With  poor  implements  they 
had  to  labor  on  a  hard  ground.  There  was  less  justice  and 
kindliness  amongst  men  in  those  days  than  there  is  now. 

Once  it  came  into  the  mind  of  Zeus  that  he  would  destroy 
the  fourth  race  and  leave  the  earth  to  the  nymphs  and  the 
satyrs.  He  would  destroy  it  by  a  great  flood.  But  Prome- 
theus, the  Titan  god  who  had  given  aid  to  Zeus  against  the 
other  Titans  —  Prometheus,  who  was  called  the  Foreseer  — 
could  not  consent  to  the  race  of  men  being  destroyed  utterly, 
and  he  considered  a  way  of  saving  some  of  them.  To  a  man 
and  a  woman,  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha,  just  and  gentle  people, 
he  brought  word  of  the  plan  of  Zeus,  and  he  showed  them  how 
to  make  a  ship  that  would  bear  them  through  what  was  about 
to  be  sent  upon  the  earth. 

Then  Zeus  shut  up  in  their  cave  all  the  winds  but  the  wind 
that  brings  rain  and  clouds.  He  bade  this  wind,  the  South 
Wind,  sweep  over  the  earth,  flooding  it  with  rain.  He  called 
upon  Poseidon  and  bade  him  to  let  the  sea  pour  in  upon  the 
land.  And  Poseidon  commanded  the  rivers  to  put  forth  all 
their  strength,  and  sweep  dykes  away,  and  overflow  their  banks. 

The  clouds  and  the  sea  and  the  rivers  poured  upon  the 
earth.  The  flood  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  in  the  places  where 
the  pretty  lambs  had  played  the  ugly  sea  calves  now  gam- 


102  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

boiled;  men  in  their  boats  drew  fishes  out  of  the  tops  of  elm 
trees,  and  the  water  nymphs  were  amazed  to  come  on  men's 
cities  under  the  waves. 

Soon  even  the  men  and  women  who  had  boats  were  over- 
whelmed by  the  rise  of  water  —  all  perished  then  except 
Deucalion  and  Pyrrha,  his  wife;  them  the  waves  had  not  over- 
whelmed, for  they  were  in  a  ship  that  Prometheus  had  shown 
them  how  to  build.  The  flood  went  down  at  last,  and  Deucalion 
and  Pyrrha  climbed  up  to  a  high  and  a  dry  ground.  Zeus  saw 
that  two  of  the  race  of  men  had  been  left  alive.  But  he  saw 
that  these  two  were  just  and  kindly,  and  had  a  right  rever- 
ence for  the  gods.  He  spared  them,  and  he  saw  their  children 
again  peopling  the  earth. 

Prometheus,  who  had  saved  them,  looked  on  the  men  and 
women  of  the  earth  with  compassion.  Their  labor  was  hard, 
and  they  wrought  much  to  gain  little.  They  were  chilled  at 
night  in  their  houses,  and  the  winds  that  blew  in  the  daytime 
made  the  old  men  and  women  bend  double  like  a  wheel.  Pro- 
metheus thought  to  himself  that  if  men  and  women  had  the  ele- 
ment that  only  the  gods  knew  of  —  the  element  of  fire  —  they 
could  make  for  themselves  implements  for  labor;  they  could 
build  houses  that  would  keep  out  the  chilling  winds,  and  they 
could  warm  themselves  at  the  blaze. 

But  the  gods  had  not  willed  tha«.  men  should  have  fire, 
and  to  go  against  the  will  of  the  gods  would  be  impious.  Prome- 
theus went  against  the  will  of  the  gods.    He  stole  fire  from  the 


THE  VOYAGE   TO  COLCHIS  103 

altar  of  Zeus,  and  he  hid  it  in  a  hollow  fennel  stalk,  and  he 
brought  it  to  men. 

Then  men  were  able  to  hammer  iron  into  tools,  and  cut  down 
forests  with  axes,  and  sow  grain  where  the  forests  had  been. 
Then  were  they  able  to  make  houses  that  the  storms  could 
not  overthrow,  and  they  were  able  to  warm  themselves  at  hearth 
fires.  They  had  rest  from  their  labor  at  times.  They  built 
cities;  they  became  beings  who  no  longer  had  heads  and  backs 
bent  but  were  able  to  raise  their  faces  even  to  the  gods. 

And  Zeus  spared  the  race  of  men  who  had  now  the  sacred 
element  of  fire.  But  he  knew  that  Prometheus  had  stolen  this 
fire  even  from  his  own  altar  and  had  given  it  to  men.  And  he 
thought  on  how  he  might  punish  the  great  Titan  god  for  his 
impiety. 

He  brought  back  from  the  Underworld  the  giants  that  he 
had  put  there  to  guard  the  Titans  that  had  been  hurled  down  to 
Tartarus.  He  brought  back  Gyes,  Cottus,  and  Briareus,  and 
he  commanded  them  to  lay  hands  upon  Prometheus  and  to  fasten 
him  with  fetters  to  the  highest,  blackest  crag  upon  Caucasus. 
And  Briareus,  Cottus,  and  Gyes  seized  upon  the  Titan  god, 
and  carried  him  to  Caucasus,  and  fettered  him  with  fetters  of 
bronze  to  the  highest,  blackest  crag  —  with  fetters  of  bronze 
that  may  not  be  broken.  There  they  have  left  the  Titan 
stretched,  under  the  sky,  with  the  cold  winds  blowing  upon 
him,  and  with  the  sun  streaming  down  on  him.  And  that  his 
punishment  might  exceed  all  other  punishments  Zeus  had  sent 


104  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

a  vulture  to  prey  upon  him  —  a  vulture  that  tears  at  his  liver 
each  day. 

And  yet  Prometheus  does  not  cry  out  that  he  has  repented 
of  his  gift  to  man;  although  the  winds  blow  upon  him,  and  the 
sun  streams  upon  him,  and  the  vulture  tears  at  his  liver,  Prome- 
theus will  not  cry  out  his  repentance  to  heaven.  And  Zeus 
may  not  utterly  destroy  him.  For  Prometheus  the  Foreseer 
knows  a  secret  that  Zeus  would  fain  have  him  disclose.  He 
knows  that  even  as  Zeus  overthrew  his  father  and  made  him- 
self the  ruler  in  his  stead,  so,  too,  another  will  overthrow  Zeus. 
And  one  day  Zeus  will  have  to  have  the  fetters  broken  from 
around  the  limbs  of  Prometheus,  and  will  have  to  bring  from 
the  rock  and  the  vulture,  and  into  the  Council  of  the  Olympians, 
the  unyielding  Titan  god. 

When  the  light  of  the  morning  came  the  Argo  was  very  near 
to  the  Mountain  Caucasus.  The  voyagers  looked  in  awe  upon 
its  black  crags.  They  saw  the  great  vulture  circling  over  a 
high  rock,  and  from  beneath  where  the  vulture  circled  they 
heard  a  weary  cry.  Then  Heracles,  who  all  night  had  stood 
by  the  mast,  cried  out  to  the  Argonauts  to  bring  the  ship  near 
to  a  landing  place. 

But  Jason  would  not  have  them  go  near;  fear  of  the  wrath 
of  Zeus  was  strong  upon  him;  rather,  he  bade  the  Argonauts 
put  all  their  strength  into  their  rowing,  and  draw  far  off  from 
that  forbidden  mountain.     Heracles,  not  heeding  what  Jason 


THE  VOYAGE   TO  COLCHIS  105 

ordered,  declared  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  make  his  way  up 
to  the  black  crag,  and,  with  his  shield  and  his  sword  in  his 
hands,  slay  the  vulture  that  preyed  upon  the  liver  of  Prometheus. 

Then  Orpheus  in  a  clear  voice  spoke  to  the  Argonauts. 
" Surely  some  spirit  possesses  Heracles,"  he  said.  "  Despite 
all  we  do  or  say  he  will  make  his  way  to  where  Prometheus 
is  fettered  to  the  rock.  Do  not  gainsay  him  in  this !  Remember 
what  Nereus,  the  ancient  one  of  the  sea,  declared!  Did  Xereus 
not  say  that  a  great  labor  awaited  Heracles,  and  that  in  the 
doing  of  it  he  should  work  out  the  will  of  Zeus?  Stay  him  not! 
How  just  it  would  be  if  he  who  is  the  son  of  Zeus  freed  from 
his  torments  the  much-enduring  Titan  god!" 

So  Orpheus  said  in  his  clear,  commanding  voice.  They  drew 
near  to  the  Mountain  Caucasus.  Then  Heracles,  gripping  the 
sword  and  shield  that  were  the  gifts  of  the  gods,  sprang  out  on 
the  landing  place.  The  Argonauts  shouted  farewell  to  him. 
But  he,  filled  as  he  was  with  an  overmastering  spirit,  did  not 
heed  their  words. 

A  strong  breeze  drove  them  onward;  darkness  came  down, 
and  the  Argo  went  on  through  the  night.  With  the  morning 
light  those  who  were  sleeping  were  awakened  by  the  cry  of 
Nauplius  —  "Lo!  The  Phasis,  and  the  utmost  bourne  of  the 
sea!"  They  sprang  up,  and  looked  with  many  strange  feelings 
upon  the  broad  river  they  had  come  to. 

Here  was  the  Phasis  emptying  itself  into  the  Sea  of  Pontus! 
Up  that  river  was  Colchis  and  the  city  of  King  iEetes,  the 


106  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

end  of  their  voyage,  the  place  where  was  kept  the  Golden 
Fleece!  Quickly  they  let  down  the  sail;  they  lowered  the  mast 
and  they  laid  it  along  the  deck;  strongly  they  grasped  the  oars; 
they  swung  the  Argo  around,  and  they  entered  the  broad  stream 
of  the  Phasis. 

Up  the  river  they  went  with  the  Mountain  Caucasus  on 
their  left  hand,  and  on  their  right  the  groves  and  gardens  of 
Aea,  King  ^Eetes's  city.  As  they  went  up  the  stream,  Jason 
poured  from  a  golden  cup  an  offering  to  the  gods.  And  to  the 
dead  heroes  of  that  country  the  Argonauts  prayed  for  good 
fortune  to  their  enterprise. 

It  was  Jason's  counsel  that  they  should  not  at  once  appear 
before  King  iEetes,  but  visit  him  after  they  had  seen  the 
strength  of  his  city.  They  drew  their  ship  into  a  shaded  back- 
water, and  there  they  stayed  while  day  grew  and  faded  around 
them. 

Night  came,  and  the  heroes  slept  upon  the  deck  of  Argo. 
Many  things  came  back  to  them  in  their  dreams  or  through 
their  half-sleep :  they  thought  of  the  Lemnian  maidens  they  had 
parted  from;  of  the  Clashing  Rocks  they  had  passed  between; 
of  the  look  in  the  eyes  of  Heracles  as  he  raised  his  face  to  the 
high,  black  peak  of  Caucasus.  They  slept,  and  they  thought 
they  saw  before  them  The  Golden  Fleece;  darkness  sur- 
rounded it;  it  seemed  to  the  dreaming  Argonauts  that  the 
darkness  was  the  magic  power  that  King  ^Eetes  possessed. 


PART  II.    THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE 


I.    KING  jEETES 

HEY  had  come  into  a  country  that  was 
the  strangest  of  all  countries,  and 
amongst  a  people  that  were  the  strang- 
est of  all  peoples.  They  were  in  the 
land,  this  people  said,  before  the  moon 
had  come  into  the  sky.  And  it  is  true 
that  when  the  great  king  of  Egypt  had 
come  so  far,  finding  in  all  other  places  men  living  on  the  high 
hills  and  eating  the  acorns  that  grew  on  the  oaks  there,  he  found 
in  Colchis  the  city  of  Aea  with  a  wall  around  it  and  with  pillars 
on  which  writings  were  graven.  That  was  when  Egypt  was 
called  the  Morning  Land. 

And  many  of  the  magicians  of  Egypt  who  had  come  with 
King  Sesostris  stayed  in  that  city  of  Aea,  and  they  taught 
people  spells  that  could  stay  the  moon  in  her  going  and  coming, 
in  her  rising  and  setting.  Priests  of  the  Moon  ruled  the  city 
of  Aea  until  King  iEetes  came. 

^Eetes  had  no  need  of  their  magic,  for  Helios,  the  bright 
Sun,  was  his  father,  as  he  thought.  Also,  Hephaestus,  the  artisan 
of  the  gods,  was  his  friend,   and   Hephaestus   made   for   him 

log 


no  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

many  wonderful  things  to  be  his  protection.  Medea,  too,  his 
wise  daughter,  knew  the  secrets  taught  by  those  who  could 
sway  the  moon. 

But  JEetes  once  was  made  afraid  by  a  dream  that  he  had: 
he  dreamt  that  a  ship  had  come  up  the  Phasis,  and  then,  sail- 
ing on  a  mist,  had  rammed  his  palace  that  was  standing  there 
in  all  its  strength  and  beauty  until  it  had  fallen  down.  On  the 
morning  of  the  night  that  he  had  had  this  dream  ^Eetes  called 
Medea,  his  wise  daughter,  and  he  bade  her  go  to  the  temple 
of  Hecate,  the  Moon,  and  search  out  spells  that  might  destroy 
those  who  came  against  his  city. 

That  morning  the  Argonauts,  who  had  passed  the  night  in 
the  backwater  of  the  river,  had  two  youths  come  to  them.  They 
were  in  a  broken  ship,  and  they  had  one  oar  only.  When 
Jason,  after  giving  them  food  and  fresh  garments,  questioned 
them,  he  found  out  that  these  youths  were  of  the  city  of  Aea, 
and  that  they  were  none  others  than  the  sons  of  Phrixus  —  of 
Phrixus  who  had  come  there  with  the  Golden  Ram. 

And  the  youths,  Phrontis  and  Melas,  were  as  amazed  as  was 
Jason  when  they  found  out  whose  ship  they  had  come  aboard. 
For  Jason  was  the  grandson  of  Cretheus,  and  Cretheus  was  the 
brother  of  Athamas,  their  grandfather.  They  had  ventured 
from  Aea,  where  they  had  been  reared,  thinking  to  reach  the 
country  of  Athamas  and  lay  claim  to  his  possessions.  But  they 
had  been  wrecked  at  a  place  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  the 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  in 

Phasis,  and  with  great  pain  and  struggle  they  had  made  their 
way  back. 

They  were  fearful  of  Aea  and  of  their  uncle  King  JEttes,  and 
they  would  gladly  go  with  Jason  and  the  Argonauts  back  to 
Greece.  They  would  help  Jason,  they  said,  to  persuade  ^Eetes 
to  give  the  Golden  Fleece  peaceably  to  them.  Their  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  ^Eetes  —  Chalciope,  whom  the  king  had 
given  in  marriage  to  Phrixus,  his  guest. 

A  council  of  the  Argonauts  was  held,  and  it  was  agreed  that 
Jason  should  go  with  two  comrades  to  King  JEetes,  Phrontis 
and  Melas  going  also.  They  were  to  ask  the  king  to  give 
them  the  Golden  Fleece  and  to  offer  him  a  recompense.  Jason 
took  Peleus  and  Telamon  with  him. 

As  they  came  to  the  city  a  mist  fell,  and  Jason  and  his 
comrades  with  the  sons  of  Phrixus  went  through  the  city  with- 
out being  seen.  They  came  before  the  palace  of  King  ^Eetes. 
Then  Phrontis  and  Melas  were  some  way  behind.  The  mist 
lifted,  and  before  the  heroes  was  the  wonder  of  the  palace  in 
the  bright  light  of  the  morning. 

Vines  with  broad  leaves  and  heavy  clusters  of  fruit  grew 
from  column  to  column,  the  columns  holding  a  gallery  up. 
And  under  the  vines  were  the  four  fountains  that  Hephaestus 
had  made  for  King  ^Eetes.  They  gushed  out  into  golden,  silver, 
bronze,  and  iron  basins.  And  one  fountain  gushed  out  clear 
water,  and  another  gushed  out  milk;  another  gushed  out  wine; 
and  another  oil.     On  each  side  of  the  courtyard  were  the  palace 


112  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

buildings;  in  one  King  ^Eetes  lived  with  Apsyrtus,  his  son,  and 
in  the  other  Chalciope  and  Medea  lived  with  their  handmaidens. 

Medea  was  passing  from  her  father's  house.  The  mist  lifted 
suddenly  and  she  saw  three  strangers  in  the  palace  courtyard. 
One  had  a  crimson  mantle  on;  his  shoulders  were  such  as  to 
make  him  seem  a  man  that  a  whole  world  could  not  overthrow, 
and  his  eyes  had  all  the  sun's  light  in  them. 

Amazed,  Medea  stood  looking  upon  Jason,  wondering  at  his 
bright  hair  and  gleaming  eyes  and  at  the  lightness  and  strength 
of  the  hand  that  he  had  raised.  And  then  a  dove  flew  toward 
her:  it  was  being  chased  by  a  hawk,  and  Medea  saw  the  hawk's 
eyes  and  beak.  As  the  dove  lighted  upon  her  shoulder  she  threw 
her  veil  around  it,  and  the  hawk  dashed  itself  against  a  column. 
And  as  Medea,  trembling,  leaned  against  the  column  she  heard 
a  cry  from  her  sister,  who  was  within. 

For  now  Phrontis  and  Melas  had  come  up,  and  Chalciope 
who  was  spinning  by  the  door  saw  them  and  cried  out.  All 
the  servants  rushed  out.  Seeing  Chalciope's  sons  there  they, 
too,  uttered  loud  cries,  and  made  such  commotion  that  Apsyrtus 
and  then  King  JEetes  came  out  of  the  palace. 

Jason  saw  King  ^Eetes.  He  was  old  and  white,  but  he  had 
great  green  eyes,  and  the  strength  of  a  leopard  was  in  all  he  did. 
And  Jason  looked  upon  Apsyrtus  too;  the  son  of  ^Eetes  looked 
like  a  Phoenician  merchant,  black  of  beard  and  with  rings  in 
his  ears,  with  a  hooked  nose  and  a  gleam  of  copper  in  his  face. 

Phrontis  and  Melas  went  from  their  mother's  embrace  and 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  113 

made  reverence  to  King  JEetes.  Then  they  spoke  of  the  heroes 
who  were  with  them,  of  Jason  and  his  two  comrades.  ^Eetes 
bade  all  enter  the  palace;  baths  were  made  ready  for  them, 
and  a  banquet  was  prepared. 

After  the  banquet,  when  they  all  sat  together,  ^Eetes,  ad- 
dressing the  eldest  of  Chalciope's  sons,  said: 

"Sons  of  Phrixus,  of  that  man  whom  I  honored  above  all 
men  who  came  to  my  halls,  speak  now  and  tell  me  how  it  is 
that  you  have  come  back  to  Aea  so  soon,  and  who  they  are, 
these  men  who  come  with  you?  " 

JEetes,  as  he  spoke,  looked  sharply  upon  Phrontis  and  Melas, 
for  he  suspected  them  of  having  returned  to  Aea,  bringing  these 
armed  men  with  them,  with  an  evil  intent.  Phrontis  looked 
at  the  King,  and  said: 

"JEetes,  our  ship  was  driven  upon  the  Island  of  Ares,  where 
it  was  almost  broken  upon  the  rocks.  That  was  on  a  murky 
night,  and  in  the  morning  the  birds  of  Ares  shot  their  sharp 
feathers  upon  us.  We  pulled  away  from  that  place,  and  there- 
after we  were  driven  by  the  winds  back  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Phasis.  There  we  met  with  these  heroes  who  were  friendly  to  us. 
Who  they  are,  what  they  have  come  to  your  city  for,  I  shall 
now  tell  you. 

"A  certain  king,  longing  to  drive  one  of  these  heroes  from  his 
land,  and  hoping  that  the  race  of  Cretheus  might  perish  utterly, 
led  him  to  enter  a  most  perilous  adventure.  He  came  here  upon 
a  ship  that  was  made  by  the  command  of  Hera,  the  wife  of 


ii4  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Zeus,  a  ship  more  wonderful  than  mortals  ever  sailed  in  before. 
With  him  there  came  the  mightiest  of  the  heroes  of  Greece. 
He  is  Jason,  the  grandson  of  Cretheus,  and  he  has  come  to  beg 
that  you  will  grant  him  freely  the  famous  Fleece  of  Gold  that 
Phrixus  brought  to  Aea. 

"But  not  without  recompense  to  you  would  he  take  the 
Fleece.  Already  he  has  heard  of  your  bitter  foes,  the  Sauro- 
matae.  He  with  his  comrades  would  subdue  them  for  you. 
And  if  you  would  ask  of  the  names  and  the  lineage  of  the  heroes 
who  are  with  Jason  I  shall  tell  you.  This  is  Peleus  and  this 
is  Telamon;  they  are  brothers,  and  they  are  sons  of  ^Eacus, 
who  was  of  the  seed  of  Zeus.  And  all  the  other  heroes  who  have 
come  with  them  are  of  the  seed  of  the  gods." 

So  Phrontis  said,  but  the  King  was  not  placated  by  what  he 
said.  He  thought  that  the  sons  of  Chalciope  had  returned  to 
Aea  bringing  these  warriors  with  them  so  that  they  might  wrest 
the  kingship  from  him,  or,  failing  that,  plunder  the  city.  ^Eetes's 
heart  was  filled  with  wrath  as  he  looked  upon  them,  and  his 
eyes  shone  as  a  leopard's  eyes. 

"Begone  from  my  sight,"  he  cried,  "robbers  that  ye  are! 
Tricksters!  If  you  had  not  eaten  at  my  table,  assuredly  I 
should  have  had  your  tongues  cut  out  for  speaking  falsehoods 
about  the  blessed  gods,  saying  that  this  one  and  that  of  your 
companions  was  of  their  divine  race." 

Telamon  and  Peleus  strode  forward  with  angry  hearts;  they 
would  have  laid  their  hands  upon  King  JEetes  only  Jason  held 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  115 

them  back.  And  then  speaking  to  the  king  in  a  quiet  voice, 
Jason  said: 

"Bear  with  us,  King  iEetes,  I  pray  you.  We  have  not  come 
with  such  evil  intent  as  you  think.  Ah,  it  was  the  evil  com- 
mand of  an  evil  king  that  sent  me  forth  with  these  companions 
of  mine  across  dangerous  gulfs  of  the  sea,  and  to  face  your 
wrath  and  the  armed  men  you  can  bring  against  us.  We  are 
ready  to  make  great  recompense  for  the  friendliness  you  may 
show  to  us.  We  will  subdue  for  you  the  Sauromatae,  or  any 
other  people  that  you  would  lord  it  over." 

But  ^Eetes  was  not  made  friendly  by  Jason's  words.  His 
heart  was  divided  as  to  whether  he  should  summon  his  armed 
men  and  have  them  slain  upon  the  spot,  or  whether  he  should 
put  them  into  danger  by  the  trial  he  would  make  of  them. 
At  last  he  thought  that  it  would  be  better  to  put  them  to  the 
trial  that  he  had  in  mind,  slaying  them  afterward  if  need  be. 
And  then  he  spoke  to  Jason,  saying: 

"Strangers  to  Colchis,  it  may  be  true  what  my  nephews  have 
said.  It  may  be  that  ye  are  truly  of  the  seed  of  the  immortals. 
And  it  may  be  that  I  shall  give  you  the  Golden  Fleece  to  bear 
away  after  I  have  made  trial  of  you." 

As  he  spoke  Medea,  brought  there  by  his  messenger  so  that 
she  might  observe  the  strangers,  came  into  the  chamber.  She 
entered  softly  and  she  stood  away  from  her  father  and  the  four 
who  were  speaking  with  him.  Jason  looked  upon  her,  and  even 
although  his  mind  was  filled  with  the  thought  of  bending  King 


n6  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

JEetes  to  his  will,  he  saw  what  manner  of  maiden  she  was,  and 
what  beauty  and  what  strength  was  hers. 

She  had  a  dark  face  that  wTas  made  very  strange  by  her  crown 
of  golden  hair.  Her  eyes,  like  her  father's,  were  wide  and  full 
of  light,  and  her  lips  were  so  full  and  red  that  they  made  her 
mouth  like  an  opening  rose.  But  her  brows  were  always  knit 
as  if  there  was  some  secret  anger  within  her. 

"With  brave  men  I  have  no  quarrel,"  said  JEetes.  "I  will 
make  a  trial  of  your  bravery,  and  if  your  bravery  wins  through 
the  trial,  be  very  sure  that  you  will  have  the  Golden  Fleece  to 
bring  back  in  triumph  to  Iolcus. 

"But  the  trial  that  I  would  make  of  you  is  hard  for  a  great 
hero  even.  Know  that  on  the  plain  of  Ares  yonder  I  have  two 
fire-breathing  bulls  with  feet  of  brass.  These  bulls  were  once 
conquered  by  me;  I  yoked  them  to  a  plow  of  adamant,  and 
with  them  I  plowed  the  field  of  Ares  for  four  plow-gates. 
Then  I  sowed  the  furrows,  not  with  the  seed  that  Demeter 
gives,  but  with  teeth  of  a  dragon.  And  from  the  dragon's  teeth 
that  I  sowed  in  the  field  of  Ares  armed  men  sprang  up.  I  slew 
them  with  my  spear  as  they  rose  around  me  to  slay  me.  If  you 
can  accomplish  this  that  I  accomplished  in  days  gone  by  I  shall 
submit  to  you  and  give  you  the  Golden  Fleece.  But  if  you 
cannot  accomplish  what  I  once  accomplished  you  shall  go  from 
my  city  empty-handed,  for  it  is  not  right  that  a  brave  man 
should  yield  aught  to  one  who  cannot  show  himself  as 
brave." 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  117 

So  JEetes  said.  Then  Jason,  utterly  confounded,  cast  his 
eyes  upon  the  ground.  He  raised  them  to  speak  to  the  king, 
and  as  he  did  he  found  the  strange  eyes  of  Medea  upon  him. 
With  all  the  courage  that  was  in  him  he  spoke: 

"I  will  dare  this  contest,  monstrous  as  it  is.  I  will  face  this 
doom.  I  have  come  far,  and  there  is  nothing  else  for  me  to  do 
but  to  yoke  your  fire-breathing  bulls  to  the  plow  of  adamant, 
and  plow  the  furrows  in  the  field  of  Ares,  and  struggle  with 
the  Earth-born  Men."  As  he  said  this  he  saw  the  eyes  of 
Medea  grow  wide  as  with  fear. 

Then  ^Eetes  said,  "  Go  back  to  your  ship  and  make  ready  for 
the  trial."  Jason,  with  Peleus  and  Telamon,  left  the  chamber, 
and  the  king  smiled  grimly  as  he  saw  them  go.  Phrontis  and 
Melas  went  to  where  their  mother  was.  But  Medea  stayed, 
and  JEetes  looked  upon  her  with  his  great  leopard's  eyes.  "My 
daughter,  my  wise  Medea,"  he  said,  "go,  put  spells  upon  the 
Moon,  that  Hecate  may  weaken  that  man  in  his  hour  of  trial." 
Medea  turned  away  from  her  father's  eyes,  and  went  to  her 
chamber. 


n8 


THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 


H.    MEDEA  THE  SORCERESS 


HE  turned  away  from  her  father's  eyes 
and  she  went  into  her  own  chamber. 
For  a  long  time  she  stood  there  with 
her  hands  clasped  together.  She  heard 
the  voice  of  Chalciope  lamenting  because 
JEetes  had  taken  a  hatred  to  her  sons 
and  might  strive  to  destroy  them.  She 
heard  the  voice  of  her  sister  lamenting,  but  Medea  thought  that 
the  cause  that  her  sister  had  for  grieving  was  small  compared 
with  the  cause  that  she  herself  had. 

She  thought  on  the  moment  when  she  had  seen  Jason  for  the 
first  time  —  in  the  courtyard  as  the  mist  lifted  and  the  dove 
flew  to  her;  she  thought  of  him  as  he  lifted  those  bright  eyes 
of  his ;  then  she  thought  of  his  voice  as  he  spoke  after  her  father 
had  imposed  the  dreadful  trial  upon  him.  She  would  have  liked 
then  to  have  cried  out  to  him,  "0  youth,  if  others  rejoice  at 
the  doom  that  you  go  to,  I  do  not  rejoice." 

Still  her  sister  lamented.  But  how  great  was  her  own  grief 
compared  to  her  sister's!  For  Chalciope  could  try  to  help  her 
sons  and  could  lament  for  the  danger  they  were  in  and  no  one 
would  blame  her.  But  she  might  not  strive  to  help  Jason  nor 
might  she  lament  for  the  danger  he  was  in.  How  terrible  it 
would  be  for  a  maiden  to  help  a  stranger  against  her  father's 
design!    How  terrible  it  would  be  for  a  woman  of  Colchis  to 


THE  RETURN   TO  GREECE  119 

help  a  stranger  against  the  will  of  the  king!  How  terrible  it 
would  be  for  a  daughter  to  plot  against  King  ^Eetes  in  his  own 
palace ! 

And  then  Medea  hated  Aea,  her  city.  She  hated  the  furious 
people  who  came  together  in  the  assembly,  and  she  hated  the 
brazen  bulls  that  Hephaestus  had  given  her  father.  And  then 
she  thought  that  there  was  nothing  in  Aea  except  the  furious 
people  and  the  fire-breathing  bulls.  0  how  pitiful  it  was  that 
the  strange  hero  and  his  friends  should  have  come  to  such  a 
place  for  the  sake  of  the  Golden  Fleece  that  was  watched  over 
by  the  sleepless  serpent  in  the  grove  of  Ares! 

Still  Chalciope  lamented.  Would  Chalciope  come  to  her  and 
ask  her,  Medea,  to  help  her  sons?  If  she  should  come  she 
might  speak  of  the  strangers,  too,  and  of  the  danger  they  were  in. 
Medea  went  to  her  couch  and  lay  down  upon  it.  She  longed 
for  her  sister  to  come  to  her  or  to  call  to  her. 

But  Chalciope  stayed  in  her  own  chamber.  Medea,  lying  upon 
her  couch,  listened  to  her  sister's  laments.  At  last  she  went 
near  where  Chalciope  was.  Then  shame  that  she  should  think 
so  much  about  the  stranger  came  over  her.  She  stood  there 
without  moving;  she  turned  to  go  back  to  the  couch,  and  then 
trembled  so  much  that  she  could  not  stir.  As  she  stood  between 
her  couch  and  her  sister's  chamber  she  heard  the  voice  of  Chal- 
ciope calling  to  her. 

She  went  into  the  chamber  where  her  sister  stood.  Chalciope 
flung  her  arms   around  her.     "Swear,"   said   she  to   Medea, 


120  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

"swear  by  Hecate,  the  Moon,  that  you  will  never  speak  of 
something  I  am  going  to  ask  you."  Medea  swore  that  she 
would  never  speak  of  it. 

Chalciope  spoke  of  the  danger  her  sons  were  in.  She  asked 
Medea  to  devise  a  way  by  which  they  could  escape  with  the 
stranger  from  Aea.  "In  Aea  and  in  Colchis,"  she  said,  "there 
will  be  no  safety  for  my  sons  henceforth."  And  to  save  Phrontis 
and  Melas,  she  said,  Medea  would  have  to  save  the  strangers 
also.  Surely  she  knew  of  a  charm  that  would  save  the  stranger 
from  the  brazen  bulls  in  the  contest  on  the  morrow! 

So  Chalciope  came  to  the  very  thing  that  was  in  Medea's 
mind.  Her  heart  bounded  with  joy  and  she  embraced  her. 
"Chalciope,"  she  said,  "I  declare  that  I  am  your  sister,  indeed  — 
aye,  and  your  daughter,  too,  for  did  you  not  care  for  me  when 
I  was  an  infant?  I  will  strive  to  save  your  sons.  I  will  strive 
to  save  the  strangers  who  came  with  your  sons.  Send  one  to 
the  strangers  —  send  him  to  the  leader  of  the  strangers,  and 
tell  him  that  I  would  see  him  at  daybreak  in  the  temple  of 
Hecate." 

When  Medea  said  this  Chalciope  embraced  her  again.  She 
was  amazed  to  see  how  Medea's  tears  were  flowing.  "Chal- 
ciope," she  said,  "no  one  will  know  the  dangers  that  I  shall  go 
through  to  save  them." 

Swiftly  then  Chalciope  went  from  the  chamber.  But  Medea 
stayed  there  with  her  head  bowed  and  the  blush  of  shame  on 
her  face.     She  thought  that  already  she  had  deceived  her  sister, 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  121 

making  her  think  that  it  was  Phrontis  and  Melas  and  not  Jason 
that  was  in  her  mind  to  save.  And  she  thought  on  how  she 
would  have  to  plot  against  her  father  and  against  her  own  people, 
and  all  for  the  sake  of  a  stranger  who  would  sail  away  without 
thought  of  her,  without  the  image  of  her  in  his  mind. 

Jason,  with  Peleus  and  Telamon,  went  back  to  the  Argo.  His 
comrades  asked  how  he  had  fared,  and  when  he  spoke  to  them 
of  the  fire-breathing  bulls  with  feet  of  brass,  of  the  dragon's 
teeth  that  had  to  be  sown,  and  of  the  Earth-born  Men  that  had 
to  be  overcome,  the  Argonauts  were  greatly  cast  down,  for  this 
task,  they  thought,  was  one  that  could  not  be  accomplished. 
He  who  stood  before  the  fire-breathing  bulls  would  perish  on 
the  moment.  But  they  knew  that  one  amongst  them  must 
strive  to  accomplish  the  task.  And  if  Jason  held  back,  Peleus, 
Telamon,  Theseus,  Castor,  Polydeuces,  or  any  one  of  the  others 
would  undertake  it. 

But  Jason  would  not  hold  back.  On  the  morrow,  he  said,  he 
would  strive  to  yoke  the  fire-breathing,  brazen-footed  bulls  to 
the  plow  of  adamant.  If  he  perished  the  Argonauts  should 
then  do  what  they  thought  was  best  —  make  other  trials  to 
gain  the  Golden  Fleece,  or  turn  their  ship  and  sail  back  to  Greece. 

While  they  were  speaking,  Phrontis,  Chalciope's  son,  came 
to  the  ship.  The  Argonauts  welcomed  him,  and  in  a  while  he 
began  to  speak  of  his  mother's  sister  and  of  the  help  she  could 
give.     They  grew  eager  as  he  spoke  of  her,  all  except  rough 


122  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Areas,  who  stood  wrapped  in  his  bear's  skin.  "  Shame  on  us," 
rough  Areas  cried,  "  shame  on  us  if  we  have  come  here  to  crave 
the  help  of  girls!  Speak  no  more  of  this!  Let  us,  the  Argo- 
nauts, go  with  swords  into  the  city  of  Aea,  and  slay  this  king, 
and  carry  off  the  Fleece  of  Gold." 

Some  of  the  Argonauts  murmured  approval  of  what  Areas 
said.  But  Orpheus  silenced  him  and  them,  for  in  his  prophetic 
mind  Orpheus  saw  something  of  the  help  that  Medea  would 
give  them.  It  would  be  well,  Orpheus  said,  to  take  help  from 
this  wise  maiden;  Jason  should  go  to  her  in  the  temple  of 
Hecate.  The  Argonauts  agreed  to  this;  they  listened  to  what 
Phrontis  told  them  about  the  brazen  bulls,  and  the  night  wore  on. 

When  darkness  came  upon  the  earth;  when,  at  sea,  sailors 
looked  to  the  Bear  and  the  stars  of  Orion;  when,  in  the  city, 
there  was  no  longer  the  sound  of  barking  dogs  nor  of  men's 
voices,  Medea  went  from  the  palace.  She  came  to  a  path; 
she  followed  it  until  it  brought  her  into  the  part  of  the  grove 
that  was  all  black  with  the  shadow  that  oak  trees  made. 

She  raised  up  her  hands  and  she  called  upon  Hecate,  the 
Moon.  As  she  did,  there  was  a  blaze  as  from  torches  all  around, 
and  she  saw  horrible  serpents  stretching  themselves  toward  her 
from  the  branches  of  the  trees.  Medea  shrank  back  in  fear. 
But  again  she  called  upon  Hecate.  And  now  there  was  a  howl- 
ing as  from  the  hounds  of  Hades  all  around  her.  Fearful,  indeed, 
Medea  grew  as  the  howling  came  near  her;   almost  she  turned 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  123 

to  flee.  But  she  raised  her  hands  again  and  called  upon  Hecate. 
Then  the  nymphs  who  haunted  the  marsh  and  the  river  shrieked, 
and  at  those  shrieks  Medea  crouched  down  in  fear. 

She  called  upon  Hecate,  the  Moon,  again.  She  saw  the  moon 
rise  above  the  treetops,  and  then  the  hissing  and  shrieking  and 
howling  died  away.  Holding  up  a  goblet  in  her  hand  Medea 
poured  out  a  libation  of  honey  to  Hecate,  the  Moon. 

And  then  she  went  to  where  the  moon  made  a  brightness 
upon  the  ground.  There  she  saw  a  flower  that  rose  above  the 
other  flowers  —  a  flower  that  grew  from  two  joined  stalks,  and 
that  was  of  the  color  of  a  crocus.  Medea  cut  the  stalks  with  a 
brazen  knife,  and  as  she  did  there  came  a  deep  groan  out  of 
the  earth. 

This  was  the  Promethean  flower.  It  had  come  out  of  the 
earth  first  when  the  vulture  that  tore  at  Prometheus's  liver  had 
let  fall  to  earth  a  drop  of  his  blood.  With  a  Caspian  shell  that 
she  had  brought  with  her  Medea  gathered  the  dark  juice  of  this 
flower  —  the  juice  that  went  to  make  her  most  potent  charm. 
All  night  she  went  through  the  grove  gathering  the  juice  of 
secret  herbs;  then  she  mingled  them  in  a  phial  that  she  put  away 
in  her  girdle. 

She  went  from  that  grove  and  along  the  river.  When  the 
sun  shed  its  first  rays  upon  snowy  Caucasus  she  stood  outside 
the  temple  of  Hecate.  She  waited,  but  she  had  not  long  to 
wait,  for,  like  the  bright  star  Sirius  rising  out  of  Ocean,  soon 
she  saw  Jason  coming  toward  her.     She  made  a  sign  to  him, 


124  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

and  he  came  and  stood  beside  her  in  the  portals  of  the 
temple. 

They  would  have  stood  face  to  face  if  Medea  did  not  have 
her  head  bent.  A  blush  had  come  upon  her  face,  and  Jason 
seeing  it,  and  seeing  how  her  head  was  bent,  knew  how  grievous 
it  was  to  her  to  meet  and  speak  to  a  stranger  in  this  way.  He 
took  her  hand  and  he  spoke  to  her  reverently,  as  one  would 
speak  to  a  priestess. 

"Lady,"  he  said,  "I  implore  you  by  Hecate  and  by  Zeus  who 
helps  all  strangers  and  suppliants  to  be  kind  to  me  and  to  the 
men  who  have  come  to  your  country  with  me.  Without  your 
help  I  cannot  hope  to  prevail  in  the  grievous  trial  that  has 
been  laid  upon  me.  If  you  will  help  us,  Medea,  your  name  will 
be  renowned  throughout  all  Greece.  And  I  have  hopes  that 
you  will  help  us,  for  your  face  and  form  show  you  to  be  one  who 
can  be  kind  and  gracious." 

The  blush  of  shame  had  gone  from  Medea's  face  and  a  softer 
blush  came  over  her  as  Jason  spoke.  She  looked  upon  him 
and  she  knew  that  she  could  hardly  live  if  the  breath  of  the 
brazen  bulls  withered  his  life  or  if  the  Earth-born  Men  slew  him. 
She  took  the  charm  from  out  her  girdle;  ungrudgingly  she  put 
it  into  Jason's  hands.  And  as  she  gave  him  the  charm  that 
she  had  gained  with  such  danger,  the  fear  and  trouble  that  was 
around  her  heart  melted  as  the  dew  melts  from  around  the  rose 
when  it  is  warmed  by  the  first  light  of  the  morning. 

Then  they  spoke  standing  close  together  in  the  portal  of  the 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  125 

temple.  She  told  him  how  he  should  anoint  his  body  all  over 
with  the  charm;  it  would  give  him,  she  said,  boundless  and 
untiring  strength,  and  make  him  so  that  the  breath  of  the 
bulls  could  not  wither  him  nor  the  horns  of  the  bulls  pierce 
him.  She  told  him  also  to  sprinkle  his  shield  and  his  sword 
with  the  charm. 

And  then  they  spoke  of  the  dragon's  teeth  and  of  the  Earth- 
born  Men  who  would  spring  from  them.  Medea  told  Jason 
that  when  they  arose  out  of  the  earth  he  was  to  cast  a  great 
stone  amongst  them.  The  Earth-born  Men  would  struggle  about 
the  stone,  and  they  would  slay  each  other  in  the  contest. 

Her  dark  and  delicate  face  was  beautiful.  Jason  looked  upon 
her,  and  it  came  into  his  mind  that  in  Colchis  there  was  some- 
thing else  of  worth  besides  the  Golden  Fleece.  And  he  thought 
that  after  he  had  won  the  Fleece  there  would  be  peace  between 
the  Argonauts  and  King  ^Eetes,  and  that  he  and  Medea  might 
sit  together  in  the  king's  hall.  But  when  he  spoke  of  being 
joined  in  friendship  with  her  father,  Medea  cried: 

"Think  not  of  treaties  nor  of  covenants.  In  Greece  such  are 
regarded,  but  not  here.  Ah,  do  not  think  that  the  king,  my 
father,  will  keep  any  peace  with  you!  When  you  have  won  the 
Fleece  you  must  hasten  away.     You  must  not  tarry  in  Aea." 

She  said  this  and  her  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears  to  think 
that  he  should  go  so  soon,  that  he  would  go  so  far,  and  that 
she  would  never  look  upon  him  again.  She  bent  her  head  again 
and  she  said:   "Tell  me  about  your  own  land;   about  the  place 


126  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

of  your  father,  the  place  where  you  will  live  when  you  win  back 
from  Colchis." 

Then  Jason  told  her  of  Icolus ;  he  told  her  how  it  was  circled 
by  mountains  not  so  lofty  as  her  Caucasus;  he  told  her  of  the 
pasture  lands  of  Iolcus  with  their  flocks  of  sheep;  he  told  her 
of  the  Mountain  Pelion  where  he  had  been  reared  by  Chiron, 
the  ancient  centaur;  he  told  her  of  his  father  who  lingered  out 
his  life  in  waiting  for  his  return. 

Medea  said:  "When  you  go  back  to  Iolcus  do  not  forget  me, 
Medea.  I  shall  remember  you,  Jason,  even  in  my  father's 
despite.  And  it  will  be  my  hope  that  some  rumor  of  you  will 
come  to  me  like  some  messenger-bird.  If  you  forget  me  may 
some  blast  of  wind  sweep  me  away  to  Iolcus,  and  may  I  sit  in 
your  hall  an  unknown  and  an  unexpected  guest!" 

Then  they  parted;  Medea  went  swiftly  back  to  the  palace, 
and  Jason,  turning  to  the  river,  went  to  where  the  Argo  was 
moored. 

The  heroes  embraced  and  questioned  him;  he  told  them  of 
Medea's  counsel  and  he  showed  them  the  charm  she  had  given 
him.  That  savage  man  Areas  scoffed  at  Medea's  counsel  and 
Medea's  charm,  saying  that  the  Argonauts  had  become  poor- 
spirited  indeed  when  they  had  to  depend  upon  a  girl's  help. 

Jason  bathed  in  the  river;  then  he  anointed  himself  with  the 
charm;  he  sprinkled  his  spear  and  shield  and  sword  with  it. 
He  came  to  Areas  who  sat  upon  his  bench,  still  nursing  his 
anger,  and  he  held  the  spear  toward  him. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  127 

Areas  took  up  his  heavy  sword  and  he  hewed  at  the  butt 
of  the  spear.  The  edge  of  the  sword  turned.  The  blade  leaped 
back  in  his  hand  as  if  it  had  been  struck  against  an  anvil.  And 
Jason,  feeling  within  him  a  boundless  and  tireless  strength, 
laughed  aloud. 

III.    THE  WINNING  OF  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

HEY  took  the  ship  out  of  the  backwater 
and  they  brought  her  to  a  wharf  in  the 
city.  At  a  place  that  was  called  "The 
Ram's  Couch"  they  fastened  the  Argo. 
Then  they  marched  to  the  field  of  Ares, 
where  the  king  and  the  Colchian  people 
were. 

Jason,  carrying  his  shield  and  spear,  went  before  the  king. 
From  the  king's  hand  he  took  the  gleaming  helmet  that  held 
the  dragon's  teeth.  This  he  put  into  the  hands  of  Theseus,  who 
went  with  him.  Then  with  the  spear  and  shield  in  his  hands, 
with  his  sword  girt  across  his  shoulders,  and  with  his  mantle 
stripped  off,  Jason  looked  across  the  field  of  Ares. 

He  saw  the  plow  that  he  was  to  yoke  to  the  bulls;  he  saw 
the  yoke  of  bronze  near  it;  he  saw  the  tracks  of  the  bulls'  hooves. 
He  followed  the  tracks  until  he  came  to  the  lair  of  the  fire- 
breathing  bulls.  Out  of  that  lair,  which  was  underground,  smoke 
and  fire  belched. 


128  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

He  set  his  feet  firmly  upon  the  ground  and  he  held  his  shield 
before  him.  He  awaited  the  onset  of  the  bulls.  They  came 
clanging  up  with  loud  bellowing,  breathing  out  fire.  They  low- 
ered their  heads,  and  with  mighty,  iron- tipped  horns  they  came 
to  gore  and  trample  him. 

Medea's  charm  had  made  him  strong;  Medea's  charm  had 
made  his  shield  impregnable.  The  rush  of  the  bulls  did  not 
overthrow  him.  His  comrades  shouted  to  see  him  standing 
firmly  there,  and  in  wonder  the  Colchians  gazed  upon  him. 
All  round  him,  as  from  a  furnace,  there  came  smoke  and  fire. 

The  bulls  roared  mightily.  Grasping  the  horns  of  the  bull 
that  was  upon  his  right  hand,  Jason  dragged  him  until  he  had 
brought  him  beside  the  yoke  of  bronze.  Striking  the  brazen 
knees  of  the  bull  suddenly  with  his  foot  he  forced  him  down. 
Then  he  smote  the  other  bull  as  it  rushed  upon  him,  and  it  too 
he  forced  down  upon  its  knees. 

Castor  and  Poly  deuces  held  the  yoke  to  him.  Jason  bound 
it  upon  the  necks  of  the  bulls.  He  fastened  the  plow  to  the 
yoke.  Then  he  took  his  shield  and  set  it  upon  his  back,  and 
grasping  the  handles  of  the  plow  he  started  to  make  the 
furrow. 

With  his  long  spear  he  drove  the  bulls  before  him  as  with  a 
goad.  Terribly  they  raged,  furiously  they  breathed  out  fire. 
Beside  Jason  Theseus  went  holding  the  helmet  that  held  the 
dragon's  teeth.  The  hard  ground  was  torn  up  by  the  plow 
of  adamant,  and  the  clods  groaned  as  they  were  cast  up.     Jason 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  129 

flung  the  teeth  between  the  open  sods,  often  turning  his  head  in 
fear  that  the  deadly  crop  of  the  Earth-born  Men  were  rising 
behind  him. 

By  the  time  that  a  third  of  the  day  was  finished  the  field 
of  Ares  had  been  plowed  and  sown.  As  yet  the  furrows  were 
free  of  the  Earth-born  Men.  Jason  went  down  to  the  river 
and  filled  bis  helmet  full  of  water  and  drank  deeply.  And  his 
knees  that  were  stiffened  with  the  plowing  he  bent  until  they 
were  made  supple  again. 

He  saw  the  field  rising  into  mounds.  It  seemed  that  there 
were  graves  all  over  the  field  of  Ares.  Then  he  saw  spears  and 
shields  and  helmets  rising  up  out  of  the  earth.  Then  armed 
warriors  sprang  up,  a  fierce  battle  cry  upon  their  lips. 

Jason  remembered  the  counsel  of  Medea.  He  raised  a  boulder 
that  four  men  could  hardly  raise  and  with  arms  hardened  by  the 
plowing  he  cast  it.  The  Colchians  shouted  to  see  such  a 
stone  cast  by  the  hands  of  one  man.  Right  into  the  middle 
of  the  Earth-born  Men  the  stone  came.  They  leaped  upon  it 
like  hounds,  striking  at  one  another  as  they  came  together. 
Shield  crashed  on  shield,  spear  rang  upon  spear  as  they  struck 
at  each  other.  The  Earth-born  Men,  as  fast  as  they  arose,  went 
down  before  the  weapons  in  the  hands  of  their  brethren. 

Jason  rushed  upon  them,  his  sword  in  his  hand.  He  slew 
some  that  had  risen  out  of  the  earth  only  as  far  as  the  shoulders; 
he  slew  others  whose  feet  were  still  in  the  earth;  he  slew  others 
who  were  ready  to  spring  upon  him.     Soon  all  the  Earth-born 


130  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Men  were  slain,  and  the  furrows  ran  with  their  dark  blood  as 
channels  run  with  water  in  springtime. 

The  Argonauts  shouted  loudly  for  Jason's  victory.  King 
^Eetes  rose  from  his  seat  that  was  beside  the  river  and  he  went 
back  to  the  city.  The  Colchians  followed  him.  Day  faded, 
and  Jason's  contest  was  ended. 

But  it  was  not  the  will  of  ^Eetes  that  the  strangers  should  be 
let  depart  peaceably  with  the  Golden  Fleece  that  Jason  had  won. 
In  the  assembly  place,  with  his  son  Apsyrtus  beside  him,  and 
with  the  furious  Colchians  all  around  him,  the  king  stood:  on 
his  breast  was  the  gleaming  corselet  that  Ares  had  given  him, 
and  on  his  head  was  that  golden  helmet  with  its  four  plumes 
that  made  him  look  as  if  he  were  truly  the  son  of  Helios,  the 
Sun.  Lightnings  flashed  from  his  great  eyes;  he  spoke  fiercely 
to  the  Colchians,  holding  in  his  hand  his  bronze-topped 
spear. 

He  would  have  them  attack  the  strangers  and  burn  the  Argo. 
He  would  have  the  sons  of  Phrixus  slain  for  bringing  them 
to  Aea.  There  was  a  prophecy,  he  declared,  that  would  have 
him  be  watchful  of  the  treachery  of  his  own  offspring:  this 
prophecy  was  being  fulfilled  by  the  children  of  Chalciope;  he 
feared,  too,  that  his  daughter,  Medea,  had  aided  the  strangers. 
So  the  king  spoke,  and  the  Colchians,  hating  all  strangers, 
shouted  around  him. 

Word  of  what  her  father  had  said  was  brought  to  Medea. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  131 

She  knew  that  she  would  have  to  go  to  the  Argonauts  and 
bid  them  flee  hastily  from  Aea.  They  would  not  go,  she  knew, 
without  the  Golden  Fleece;  then  she,  Medea,  would  have  to 
show  them  how  to  gain  the  Fleece. 

Then  she  could  never  again  go  back  to  her  father's  palace, 
she  could  never  again  sit  in  this  chamber  and  talk  to  her  hand- 
maidens, and  be  with  Chalciope,  her  sister.  Forever  after- 
ward she  would  be  dependent  on  the  kindness  of  strangers. 
Medea  wept  when  she  thought  of  all  this.  And  then  she  cut 
off  a  tress  of  her  hair  and  she  left  it  in  her  chamber  as  a 
farewell  from  one  who  was  going  afar.  Into  the  chamber  where 
Chalciope  was  she  whispered  farewell. 

The  palace  doors  were  all  heavily  bolted,  but  Medea  did  not 
have  to  pull  back  the  bolts.  As  she  chanted  her  Magic  Song 
the  bolts  softly  drew  back,  the  doors  softly  opened.  Swiftly 
she  went  along  the  ways  that  led  to  the  river.  She  came  to 
where  tires  were  blazing  and  she  knew  that  the  Argonauts  were 
there. 

She  called  to  them,  and  Phrontis,  Chalciope's  son,  heard  the 
cry  and  knew  the  voice.  To  Jason  he  spoke,  and  Jason  quickly 
went  to  where  Medea  stood. 

She  clasped  Jason's  hand  and  she  drew  him  with  her.  "The 
Golden  Fleece,"  she  said,  "the  time  has  come  when  you  must 
pluck  the  Golden  Fleece  off  the  oak  in  the  grove  of  Ares." 
When  she  said  these  words  all  Jason's  being  became  taut  like 
the  string  of  a  bow. 


132  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

It  was  then  the  hour  when  huntsmen  cast  sleep  from  their 
eyes  —  huntsmen  who  never  sleep  away  the  end  of  the  night, 
but  who  are  ever  ready  to  be  up  and  away  with  their  hounds 
before  the  beams  of  the  sun  efface  the  track  and  the  scent  of 
the  quarry.  Along  a  path  that  went  from  the  river  Medea 
drew  Jason.  They  entered  a  grove.  Then  Jason  saw  some- 
thing that  was  like  a  cloud  filled  with  the  light  of  the  rising 
sun.  It  hung  from  a  great  oak  tree.  In  awe  he  stood  and 
looked  upon  it,  knowing  that  at  last  he  looked  upon  The 
Golden  Fleece. 

His  hand  let  slip  Medea's  hand  and  he  went  to  seize  the 
Fleece.  As  he  did  he  heard  a  dreadful  hiss.  And  then  he  saw 
the  guardian  of  the  Golden  Fleece.  Coiled  all  around  the  tree, 
with  outstretched  neck  and  keen  and  sleepless  eyes,  was  a  deadly 
serpent.  Its  hiss  ran  all  through  the  grove  and  the  birds  that 
were  wakening  up  squawked  in  terror. 

Like  rings  of  smoke  that  rise  one  above  the  other,  the  coils 
of  the  serpent  went  around  the  tree  —  coils  covered  by  hard 
and  gleaming  scales.  It  uncoiled,  stretched  itself,  and  lifted 
its  head  to  strike.  Then  Medea  dropped  on  her  knees  before 
it,  and  began  to  chant  her  Magic  Song. 

As  she  sang,  the  coils  around  the  tree  grew  slack.  Like  a 
dark,  noiseless  wave  the  serpent  sank  down  on  the  ground. 
But  still  its  jaws  were  open,  and  those  dreadful  jaws  threatened 
Jason.  Medea,  with  a  newly  cut  spray  of  juniper  dipped  in  a 
mystic  brew,  touched  its  deadly  eyes.    And  still  she  chanted 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  133 

her  Magic  Song.  The  serpent's  jaws  closed;  its  eyes  became 
deadened;    far  through  the  grove  its  length  was  stretched  out. 

Then  Jason  took  the  Golden  Fleece.  As  he  raised  his  hands 
to  it,  its  brightness  was  such  as  to  make  a  flame  on  his  face. 
Medea  called  to  him.  He  strove  to  gather  it  all  up  in  his  arms; 
Medea  was  beside  him,  and  they  went  swiftly  on. 

They  came  to  the  river  and  down  to  the  place  where  the 
Argo  was  moored.  The  heroes  who  were  aboard  started  up, 
astonished  to  see  the  Fleece  that  shone  as  with  the  lightning 
of  Zeus.  Over  Medea  Jason  cast  it,  and  he  lifted  her  aboard 
the  Argo. 

"O  friends,"  he  cried,  "the  quest  on  which  we  dared  the 
gulfs  of  the  sea  and  the  wrath  of  kings  is  accomplished,  thanks 
to  the  help  of  this  maiden.  Now  may  we  return  to  Greece; 
now  have  we  the  hope  of  looking  upon  our  fathers  and  our 
friends  once  more.  And  in  all  honor  will  we  bring  this  maiden 
with  us,  Medea,  the  daughter  of  King  ^Eetes." 

Then  he  drew  his  sword  and  cut  the  hawsers  of  the  ship, 
calling  upon  the  heroes  to  drive  the  Argo  on.  There  was  a  din 
and  a  strain  and  a  splash  of  oars,  and  away  from  Aea  the  Argo 
dashed.  Beside  the  mast  Medea  stood;  the  Golden  Fleece  had 
fallen  at  her  feet,  and  her  head  and  face  were  covered  by  her 
silver  veil. 


i34  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

IV.    THE  SLAYING  OF  APSYRTUS 

HAT  silver  veil  was  to  be  splashed  with 
a  brother's  blood,  and  the  Argonauts, 
because  of  that  calamity,  were  for  a  long 
time  to  be  held  back  from  a  return  to 
their  native  land. 

Now  as  they  went  down  the  river  they 
saw  that  dangers  were  coming  swiftly 
upon  them.  The  chariots  of  the  Colchians  were  upon  the 
banks.  Jason  saw  King  JEetes  in  his  chariot,  a  blazing  torch 
lighting  his  corselet  and  his  helmet.  Swiftly  the  Argo  went,  but 
there  were  ships  behind  her,  and  they  went  swiftly  too. 

They  came  into  the  Sea  of  Pontus,  and  Phrontis,  the  son  of 
Phrixus,  gave  counsel  to  them.  "Do  not  strive  to  make  the 
passage  of  the  Symplegades,"  he  said.  "All  who  live  around 
the  Sea  of  Pontus  are  friendly  to  King  ^Eetes;  they  will  be 
warned  by  him,  and  they  will  be  ready  to  slay  us  and  take  the 
Argo.  Let  us  journey  up  the  River  Ister,  and  by  that  way  we 
can  come  to  the  Thrinacian  Sea  that  is  close  to  your  land." 

The  Argonauts  thought  well  of  what  Phrontis  said;  into  the 
waters  of  the  Ister  the  ship  was  brought.  Many  of  the  Col- 
chian  ships  passed  by  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  went  seeking 
the  Argo  toward  the  passage  of  the  Symplegades. 

But  the  Argonauts  were  on  a  way  that  was  dangerous  for 
them.     For  Apsyrtus  had  not  gone  toward   the    Symplegades 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  135 

seeking  the  Argo.  He  had  led  his  soldiers  overland  to  the  River 
Ister  at  a  place  that  was  at  a  distance  above  its  mouth.  There 
were  islands  in  the  river  at  that  place,  and  the  soldiers  of  Apsyr- 
tus  landed  on  the  islands,  while  Apsyrtus  went  to  the  kings  of 
the  people  around  and  claimed  their  support. 

The  Argo  came  and  the  heroes  found  themselves  cut  off. 
They  could  not  make  their  way  between  the  islands  that  were 
filled  with  the  Colchian  soldiers,  nor  along  the  banks  that  were 
lined  with  men  friendly  to  King  ^Eetes.  Argo  was  stayed. 
Apsyrtus  sent  for  the  chiefs;  he  had  men  enough  to  overwhelm 
them,  but  he  shrank  from  a  fight  with  the  heroes,  and  he  thought 
that  he  might  gain  all  he  wanted  from  them  without  a  struggle. 

Theseus  and  Peleus  went  to  him.  Apsyrtus  would  have  them 
give  up  the  Golden  Fleece;  he  would  have  them  give  up  Medea 
and  the  sons  of  Phrixus  also. 

Theseus  and  Peleus  appealed  to  the  judgment  of  the  kings 
who  supported  Apsyrtus.  ^Eetes,  they  said,  had  no  more  claim 
on  the  Golden  Fleece.  He  had  promised  it  to  Jason  as  a  re- 
ward for  tasks  that  he  had  imposed.  The  tasks  had  been  ac- 
complished and  the  Fleece,  no  matter  in  what  way  it  was  taken 
from  the  grove  of  Ares,  was  theirs.  So  Theseus  and  Peleus 
said,  and  the  kings  who  supported  Apsyrtus  gave  judgment  for 
the  Argonauts. 

But  Medea  would  have  to  be  given  to  her  brother.  If  that 
were  done  the  Argo  would  be  let  go  on  her  course,  Apsyrtus  said, 
and  the  Golden  Fleece  would  be  left  with  them.     Apsyrtus  said, 


136  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

too,  that  he  would  not  take  Medea  back  to  the  wrath  of  her 
father;  if  the  Argonauts  gave  her  up  she  would  be  let  stay 
on  the  island  of  Artemis  and  under  the  guardianship  of  the 
goddess. 

The  chiefs  brought  Apsyrtus's  words  back.  There  was  a 
council  of  the  Argonauts,  and  they  agreed  that  they  should 
leave  Medea  on  the  island  of  Artemis. 

But  grief  and  wrath  took  hold  of  Medea  when  she  heard  of 
this  resolve.  Almost  she  would  burn  the  Argo.  She  went  to 
where  Jason  stood,  and  she  spoke  again  of  all  she  had  done 
to  save  his  life  and  win  the  Golden  Fleece  for  the  Argonauts. 
Jason  made  her  look  on  the  ships  and  the  soldiers  that  were 
around  them;  he  showed  her  how  these  could  overwhelm  the 
Argonauts  and  slay  them  all.  With  all  the  heroes  slain,  he 
said,  Medea  would  come  into  the  hands  of  Apsyrtus,  who  then 
could  leave  her  on  the  island  of  Artemis  or  take  her  back  to  the 
wrath  of  her  father. 

But  Medea  would  not  consent  to  go  nor  could  Jason's  heart 
consent  to  let  her  go.  Then  these  two  made  a  plot  to  deceive 
Apsyrtus. 

"I  have  not  been  of  the  council  that  agreed  to  give  you  up 
to  him,"  Jason  said.  " After  you  have  been  left  there  I  will 
take  you  off  the  island  of  Artemis  secretly.  The  Colchians 
and  the  kings  who  support  them,  not  knowing  that  you  have 
been  taken  off  and  hidden  on  the  Argo,  will  let  us  pass."  This 
Medea  and  Jason  planned  to  do,  and  it  was  an  ill  thing,  for  it 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  137 

was  breaking  the  covenant  that  the  chiefs  had  entered  with 
Apsyrtus. 

Medea  then  was  left  by  the  Argonauts  on  the  island  of  Ar- 
temis. Now  Apsyrtus  had  been  commanded  by  his  father  to 
bring  her  back  to  Aea;  he  thought  that  when  she  had  been 
left  by  the  Argonauts  he  could  force  her  to  come  with  him. 
So  he  went  over  to  the  island.  Jason,  secretly  leaving  his 
companions,  went  to  the  island  from  the  other  side. 

Before  the  temple  of  Artemis  Jason  and  Apsyrtus  came  face 
to  face.  Both  men,  thinking  they  had  been  betrayed  to  their 
deaths,  drew  their  swords.  Then,  before  the  vestibule  of  the 
temple  and  under  the  eyes  of  Medea,  Jason  and  Apsyrtus 
fought.  Jason's  sword  pierced  the  son  of  ^Eetes;  as  he  fell 
Apsyrtus  cried  out  bitter  words  against  Medea,  saying  that 
it  was  on  her  account  that  he  had  come  on  his  death.  And 
as  he  fell  the  blood  of  her  brother  splashed  Medea's  silver 
veil. 

Jason  lifted  Medea  up  and  carried  her  to  the  Argo.  They  hid 
the  maiden  under  the  Fleece  of  Gold  and  they  sailed  past  the 
ships  of  the  Colchians.  When  darkness  came  they  were  far 
from  the  island  of  Artemis.  It  was  then  that  they  heard  a  loud 
wailing,  and  they  knew  that  the  Colchians  had  discovered  that 
their  prince  had  been  slain. 

The  Colchians  did  not  pursue  them.  Fearing  the  wrath  of 
iEetes  they  made  settlements  in  the  lands  of  the  kings  who 
had  supported  Apsyrtus;    they  never  went  back  to  Aea;   they 


138  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

called  themselves  Apsyrtians  henceforward,  naming  themselves 
after  the  prince  they  had  come  with. 

They  had  escaped  the  danger  that  had  hemmed  them  in, 
but  the  Argonauts,  as  they  sailed  on,  were  not  content;  cove- 
nants had  been  broken,  and  blood  had  been  shed  in  a  bad  cause. 
And  as  they  went  on  through  the  darkness  the  voice  of  the 
ship  was  heard;  at  the  sound  of  that  voice  fear  and  sorrow 
came  upon  the  voyagers,  for  they  felt  that  it  had  a  prophecy 
of  doom. 

Castor  and  Polydeuces  went  to  the  front  of  the  ship;  hold- 
ing up  their  hands,  they  prayed.  Then  they  heard  the  words 
that  the  voice  uttered:  in  the  night  as  they  went  on  the  voice 
proclaimed  the  wrath  of  Zeus  on  account  of  the  slaying  of 
Apsyrtus. 

What  was  their  doom  to  be?  It  was  that  the  Argonauts 
would  have  to  wander  forever  over  the  gulfs  of  the  sea  unless 
Medea  had  herself  cleansed  of  her  brother's  blood.  There  was 
one  who  could  cleanse  Medea  —  Circe,  the  daughter  of  Helios 
and  Perse.  The  voice  urged  the  heroes  to  pray  to  the  im- 
mortal gods  that  the  way  to  the  island  of  Circe  be  shown  to 
them. 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE 


139 


V.    MEDEA  COMES  TO  CIRCE 


HEY  sailed  up  the  River  Ister  until  they 
came  to  the  Eridanus,  that  river  across 
which  no  bird  can  fly.  Leaving  the  Eri- 
danus they  entered  the  Rhodanus,  a  river 
that  rises  in  the  extreme  north,  where 
Night  herself  has  her  habitation.  And 
voyaging  up  this  river  they  came  to  the 
Stormy  Lakes.  A  mist  lay  upon  the  lakes  night  and  day; 
voyaging  through  them  the  Argonauts  at  last  brought  out  their 
ship  upon  the  Sea  of  Ausonia. 

It  was  Zetes  and  Calais,  the  sons  of  the  North  Wind,  who 
brought  the  Argo  safely  along  this  dangerous  course.  And  to 
Zetes  and  Calais  Iris,  the  messenger  of  the  gods,  appeared  and 
revealed  to  them  where  Circe's  island  lay. 

Deep  blue  water  was  all  around  that  island,  and  on  its  height 
a  marble  house  was  to  be  seen.  But  a  strange  haze  covered 
everything  as  with  a  veil.  As  the  Argonauts  came  near  they 
saw  what  looked  to  them  like  great  dragonflies ;  they  came  down 
to  the  shore,  and  then  the  heroes  saw  that  they  were  maidens 
in  gleaming  dresses. 

The  maidens   waved  their  hands  to  the  voyagers,   calling 
them  to  come  on  the  island.     Strange  beasts  came  up  to  where 
the  maidens  were  and  made  whimpering  cries. 
The  Argonauts  would  have  drawn  the  ship  close  and  would 


140  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

have  sprung  upon  the  island  only  that  Medea  cried  out  to 
them.  She  showed  them  the  beasts  that  whimpered  around 
the  maidens,  and  then,  as  the  Argonauts  looked  upon  them, 
they  saw  that  these  were  not  beasts  of  the  wild.  There  was 
something  strange  and  fearful  about  them;  the  heroes  gazed 
upon  them  with  troubled  eyes.  They  brought  the  ship  near, 
but  they  stayed  upon  their  benches,  holding  the  oars  in  their 
hands. 

Medea  sprang  to  the  island;  she  spoke  to  the  maidens  so 
that  they  shrank  away;  then  the  beasts  came  and  whimpered 
around  her.  "  Forbear  to  land  here,  0  Argonauts,"  Medea 
cried,  "for  this  is  the  island  where  men  are  changed  into  beasts." 
She  called  to  Jason  to  come;  only  Jason  would  she  have  come 
upon  the  island. 

They  went  swiftly  toward  the  marble  house,  and  the  beasts 
followed  them,  looking  up  at  Jason  and  Medea  with  pitiful 
human  eyes.  They  went  into  the  marble  house  of  Circe,  and 
as  suppliants  they  seated  themselves  at  the  hearth. 

Circe  stood  at  her  loom,  weaving  her  many-colored  threads. 
Swiftly  she  turned  to  the  suppliants;  she  looked  for  something 
strange  in  them,  for  just  before  they  came  the  walls  of  her 
house  dripped  with  blood  and  the  flame  ran  over  and  into  her 
pot,  burning  up  all  the  magic  herbs  she  was  brewing.  She  went 
toward  where  they  sat,  Medea  with  her  face  hidden  by  her 
hands,  and  Jason,  with  his  head  bent,  holding  with  its  point  in 
the  ground  the  sword  with  which  he  had  slain  the  son  of  ^Eetes. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  141 

When  Medea  took  her  hands  away  from  before  her  face, 
Circe  knew  that,  like  herself,  this  maiden  was  of  the  race  of 
Helios.  Medea  spoke  to  her,  telling  her  first  of  the  voyage  of 
the  heroes  and  of  their  toils;  telling  her  then  of  how  she  had 
given  help  to  Jason  against  the  will  of  ^Eetes,  her  father;  telling 
her  then,  fearfully,  of  the  slaying  of  Apsyrtus.  She  covered  her 
face  with  her  robe  as  she  spoke  of  it.  And  then  she  told  Circe 
she  had  come,  warned  by  the  judgment  of  Zeus,  to  ask  of 
Circe,  the  daughter  of  Helios,  to  purify  her  from  the  stain  of 
her  brother's  blood. 

Like  all  the  children  of  Helios,  Circe  had  eyes  that  were 
wide  and  full  of  life,  but  she  had  stony  lips  —  lips  that  were 
heavy  and  moveless.  Bright  golden  hair  hung  smoothly  along 
each  of  her  sides.  First  she  held  a  cup  to  them  that  was  filled 
with  pure  water,  and  Jason  and  Medea  drank  from  that  cup. 

Then  Circe  stayed  by  the  hearth;  she  burnt  cakes  in  the 
flame,  and  all  the  while  she  prayed  to  Zeus  to  be  gentle  with 
these  suppliants.  She  brought  both  to  the  seashore.  There 
she  washed  Medea's  body  and  her  garments  with  the  spray  of 
the  sea. 

Medea  pleaded  with  Circe  to  tell  her  of  the  life  she  foresaw 
for  her,  but  Circe  would  not  speak  of  it.  She  told  Medea  that 
one  day  she  would  meet  a  woman  who  knew  nothing  about 
enchantments  but  who  had  much  human  wisdom.  She  was  to 
ask  of  her  what  she  was  to  do  in  her  life  or  what  she 
was  to  leave  undone.     And  whatever  this  woman  out  of  her 


142  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

wisdom  told  her,  that  Medea  was  to  regard.  Once  more  Circe 
offered  them  the  cup  filled  with  clear  water,  and  when  they 
had  drunken  of  it  she  left  them  upon  the  seashore.  As  she 
went  toward  her  marble  house  the  strange  beasts  followed 
Circe,  whimpering  as  they  went.  Jason  and  Medea  went 
aboard  the  Argo,  and  the  heroes  drew  away  from  Circe's  island. 

VI.    IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  PH^EACIANS 

'EARIED  were  the  heroes  now.  They 
would  have  fain  gone  upon  the  island  of 
Circe  to  rest  there  away  from  the  oars 
and  the  sound  of  the  sea.  But  the  wisest 
of  them,  looking  upon  the  beasts  that 
were  men  transformed,  held  the  Argo  far 
off  the  shore.  Then  Jason  and  Medea 
came  aboard,  and  with  heavy  hearts  and  wearied  arms  they 
turned  to  the  open  sea  again. 

No  longer  had  they  such  high  hearts  as  when  they  drove  the 
Argo  between  the  Clashers  and  into  the  Sea  of  Pontus.  Now 
their  heads  drooped  as  they  went  on,  and  they  sang  such  songs 
as  slaves  sing  in  their  hopeless  labor.  Orpheus  grew  fearful 
for  them  now. 

For  Orpheus  knew  that  they  were  drawing  toward  a  danger. 
There  was  no  other  way  for  them,  he  knew,  but  past  the  Island 
Anthemcessa  in  the  Tyrrhenian  Sea  where  the  Sirens  were. 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  143 

Once  they  had  been  nymphs  and  had  tended  Persephone  before 
she  was  carried  off  by  Aidoneus  to  be  his  queen  in  the  Under- 
world. Kind  they  had  been,  but  now  they  were  changed,  and 
they  cared  only  for  the  destruction  of  men. 

All  set  around  with  rocks  was  the  island  where  they  were. 
As  the  Argo  came  near,  the  Sirens,  ever  on  the  watch  to  draw 
mariners  to  their  destruction,  saw  them  and  came  to  the  rocks 
and  sang  to  them,  holding  each  other's  hands. 

They  sang  all  together  their  lulling  song.  That  song  made 
the  wearied  voyagers  long  to  let  their  oars  go  with  the  waves, 
and  drift,  drift  to  where  the  Sirens  were.  Bending  down  to 
them  the  Sirens,  with  soft  hands  and  white  arms,  would  lift 
them  to  soft  resting  places.  Then  each  of  the  Sirens  sang  a 
clear,  piercing  song  that  called  to  each  of  the  voyagers.  Each 
man  thought  that  his  own  name  was  in  that  song.  "0  how 
well  it  is  that  you  have  come  near,"  each  one  sang,  "how  well 
it  is  that  you  have  come  near  where  I  have  awaited  you,  having 
all  delight  prepared  for  you!" 

Orpheus  took  up  his  lyre  as  the  Sirens  began  to  sing.  He 
sang  to  the  heroes  of  their  own  toils.  He  sang  of  them,  how, 
gaunt  and  weary  as  they  were,  they  were  yet  men,  men  who 
were  the  strength  of  Greece,  men  who  had  been  fostered  by 
the  love  and  hope  of  their  country.  They  were  the  winners  of 
the  Golden  Fleece  and  their  story  would  be  told  forever.  And 
for  the  fame  that  they  had  won  men  would  forego  all  rest  and 
all  delight.     Why  should  they  not  toil,  they  who  were  born 


144  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

for  great  labors  and  to  face  dangers  that  other  men  might  not 
face?  Soon  hands  would  be  stretched  out  to  them  —  the  wel- 
coming hands  of  the  men  and  women  of  their  own  land. 

So  Orpheus  sang,  and  his  voice  and  the  music  of  his  lyre  pre- 
vailed above  the  Sirens'  voices.  Men  dropped  their  oars,  but 
other  men  remained  at  their  benches,  and  pulled  steadily,  if 
wearily,  on.  Only  one  of  the  Argonauts,  Butes,  a  youth  of 
Iolcus,  threw  himself  into  the  water  and  swam  toward  the 
rocks  from  which  the  Sirens  sang. 

But  an  anguish  that  nearly  parted  their  spirits  from  their 
bodies  was  upon  them  as  they  went  wearily  on.  Toward  the  end 
of  the  day  they  beheld  another  island  —  an  island  that  seemed 
very  fair;  they  longed  to  land  and  rest  themselves  there  and  eat 
the  fruits  of  the  island.  But  Orpheus  would  not  have  them  land. 
The  island,  he  said,  was  Thrinacia.  Upon  that  island  the 
Cattle  of  the  Sun  pastured,  and  if  one  of  the  cattle  perished 
through  them  their  return  home  might  not  be  won.  They 
heard  the  lowing  of  the  cattle  through  the  mist,  and  a  deep 
longing  for  the  sight  of  their  own  fields,  with  a  white  house 
near,  and  flocks  and  herds  at  pasture,  came  over  the  heroes. 
They  came  near  the  Island  of  Thrinacia,  and  they  saw  the 
Cattle  of  the  Sun  feeding  by  the  meadow  streams;  not  one  of 
them  was  black;  all  were  white  as  milk,  and  the  horns  upon 
their  heads  were  golden.  They  saw  the  two  nymphs  who 
herded  the  kine  —  Phaethusa  and  Lampetia,  one  with  a  staff 
of  silver  and  the  other  with  a  staff  of  gold. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  145 

Driven  by  the  breeze  that  came  over  the  Thrinacian  Sea 
the  Argonauts  came  to  the  land  of  the  Phaeacians.  It  was  a 
good  land  as  they  saw  when  they  drew  near;  a  land  of  orchards 
and  fresh  pastures,  with  a  white  and  sun-lit  city  upon  the 
height.  Their  spirits  came  back  to  them  as  they  drew  into 
the  harbor;  they  made  fast  the  hawsers,  and  they  went  upon 
the  ways  of  the  city. 

And  then  they  saw  everywhere  around  them  the  dark  faces 
of  Colchian  soldiers.  These  were  the  men  of  King  iEetes,  and 
they  had  come  overland  to  the  Phaeacian  city,  hoping  to  cut 
off  the  Argonauts.  Jason,  when  he  saw  the  soldiers,  shouted 
to  those  who  had  been  left  on  the  Argo,  and  they  drew  out 
of  the  harbor,  fearful  lest  the  Colchians  should  grapple  with 
the  ship  and  wrest  from  them  the  Fleece  of  Gold.  Then 
Jason  made  an  encampment  upon  the  shore,  and  the  captain 
of  the  Colchians  went  here  and  there,  gathering  together  his 
men. 

Medea  left  Jason's  side  and  hastened  through  the  city.  To 
the  palace  of  Alcinous,  king  of  the  Phaeacians,  she  went. 
Within  the  palace  she  found  Arete,  the  queen.  And  Arete  was 
sitting  by  her  hearth,  spinning  golden  and  silver  threads. 

Arete  was  young  at  that  time,  as  young  as  Medea,  and  as 
yet  no  child  had  been  born  to  her.  But  she  had  the  clear 
eyes  of  one  who  understands,  and  who  knows  how  to  order 
things  well.  Stately,  too,  was  Arete,  for  she  had  been  reared 
in  the  house  of  a  great  king.     Medea  came  to  her,  and  fell  upon 


146  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

her  knees  before  her,  and  told  her  how  she  had  fled  from  the 
house  of  her  father,  King  Metes. 

She  told  Arete,  too,  how  she  had  helped  Jason  to  win  the 
Golden  Fleece,  and  she  told  her  how  through  her  her  brother 
had  been  led  to  his  death.  As  she  told  this  part  of  her  story 
she  wept  and  prayed  at  the  knees  of  the  queen. 

Arete  was  greatly  moved  by  Medea's  tears  and  prayers.  She 
went  to  Alcinous  in  his  garden,  and  she  begged  of  him  to  save 
the  Argonauts  from  the  great  force  of  the  Colchians  that  had 
come  to  cut  them  off.  "The  Golden  Fleece,"  said  Arete,  "has 
been  won  by  the  tasks  that  Jason  performed.  If  the  Colchians 
should  take  Medea,  it  would  be  to  bring  her  back  to  Aea  and  to 
a  bitter  doom.  And  the  maiden,"  said  the  queen,  "has  broken 
my  heart  by  her  prayers  and  tears." 

King  Alcinous  said:  "iEetes  is  strong,  and  although  his  king- 
dom is  far  from  ours,  he  can  bring  war  upon  us."  But  still 
Arete  pleaded  with  him  to  protect  Medea  from  the  Colchians. 
Alcinous  went  within;  he  raised  up  Medea  from  where  she 
crouched  on  the  floor  of  the  palace,  and  he  promised  her  that 
the  Argonauts  would  be  protected  in  his  city. 

Then  the  king  mounted  his  chariot;  Medea  went  with  him, 
and  they  came  down  to  the  seashore  where  the  heroes  had 
made  their  encampment.  The  Argonauts  and  the  Colchians 
were  drawn  up  against  each  other,  and  the  Colchians  far  out- 
numbered the  wearied  heroes. 

Alcinous  drove  his  chariot  between  the  two  armies.     The 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  147 

Colchians  prayed  him  to  have  the  strangers  make  surrender 
to  them.  But  the  king  drove  his  chariot  to  where  the  heroes 
stood,  and  he  took  the  hand  of  each,  and  received  them  as  his 
guests.  Then  the  Colchians  knew  that  they  might  not  make 
war  upon  the  heroes.  They  drew  off.  The  next  day  they 
marched  away. 

It  was  a  rich  land  that  they  had  come  to.  Once  Aristaeus 
dwelt  there,  the  king  who  discovered  how  to  make  bees  store 
up  their  honey  for  men  and  how  to  make  the  good  olive  grow. 
Macris,  his  daughter,  tended  Dionysus,  the  son  of  Zeus,  when 
Hermes  brought  him  of  the  flame,  and  moistened  his  lips 
with  honey.  She  tended  him  in  a  cave  in  the  Phaeacian  land, 
and  ever  afterward  the  Phaeacians  were  blessed  with  all  good 
things. 

Now  as  the  heroes  marched  to  the  palace  of  King  Alcinous 
the  people  came  to  meet  them,  bringing  them  sheep  and  calves 
and  jars  of  wine  and  honey.  The  women  brought  them  fresh 
garments;  to  Medea  they  gave  fine  linen  and  golden  ornaments. 

Amongst  the  Phaeacians  who  loved  music  and  games  and  the 
telling  of  stories  the  heroes  stayed  for  long.  There  were  dances, 
and  to  the  Phaeacians  who  honored  him  as  a  god,  Orpheus  played 
upon  his  lyre.  And  every  day,  for  the  seven  days  that  they 
stayed  amongst  them,  the  Phaeacians  brought  rich  presents  to 
the  heroes. 

And  Medea,  looking  into  the  clear  eyes  of  Queen  Arete,  knew 


148  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

that  she  was  the  woman  of  whom  Circe  had  prophesied,  the 
woman  who  knew  nothing  of  enchantments,  but  who  had  much 
human  wisdom.  She  was  to  ask  of  her  what  she  was  to  do  in 
her  life  and  what  she  was  to  leave  undone.  And  what  this 
woman  told  her  Medea  was  to  regard.  Arete  told  her  that 
she  was  to  forget  all  the  witcheries  and  enchantments  that  she 
knew,  and  that  she  was  never  to  practice  against  the  life  of  any 
one.  This  she  told  Medea  upon  the  shore,  before  Jason  lifted 
her  aboard  the  Argo. 

VII.    THEY  COME  TO  THE  DESERT  LAND 

ND  now  with  sail  spread  wide  the  Argo 
went  on,  and  the  heroes  rested  at  the 
oars.  The  wind  grew  stronger.  It  be- 
came a  great  blast,  and  for  nine  days  and 
nine  nights  the  ship  was  driven  fearfully 
along. 

The  blast  drove  them  into  the  Gulf  of 
Libya,  from  whence  there  is  no  return  for  ships.  On  each  side  of 
the  gulf  there  are  rocks  and  shoals,  and  the  sea  runs  toward 
the  limitless  sand.  On  the  top  of  a  mighty  tide  the  Argo  was 
lifted,  and  she  was  flung  high  up  on  the  desert  sands. 

A  flood  tide  such  as  might  not  come  again  for  long  left  the 
Argonauts  on  the  empty  Libyan  land.  And  when  they  came 
forth  and  saw  that  vast  level  of  sand  stretching  like  a  mist 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  149 

away  into  the  distance,  a  deadly  fear  came  over  each  of  them. 
No  spring  of  water  could  they  descry;  no  path;  no  herdsman's 
cabin;  over  all  that  vast  land  there  was  silence  and  dead  calm. 
And  one  said  to  the  other:  "What  land  is  this?  Whither  have 
we  come?  Would  that  the  tempest  had  overwhelmed  us,  or 
would  that  we  had  lost  the  ship  and  our  lives  between  the 
Clashing  Rocks  at  the  time  when  we  were  making  our  way 
into  the  Sea  of  Pontus." 

And  the  helmsman,  looking  before  him,  said  with  a  breaking 
heart:  "Out  of  this  we  may  not  come,  even  should  the  breeze 
blow  from  the  land,  for  all  around  us  are  shoals  and  sharp 
rocks  —  rocks  that  we  can  see  fretting  the  water,  line  upon  line. 
Our  ship  would  have  been  shattered  far  from  the  shore  if  the 
tide  had  not  borne  her  far  up  on  the  sand.  But  now  the  tide 
rushes  back  toward  the  sea,  leaving  only  foam  on  which  no 
ship  can  sail  to  cover  the  sand.  And  so  all  hope  of  our  return 
is  cut  off." 

He  spoke  with  tears  flowing  upon  his  cheeks,  and  all  who  had 
knowledge  of  ships  agreed  with  what  the  helmsman  had  said. 
No  dangers  that  they  had  been  through  were  as  terrible  as  this. 
Hopelessly,  like  lifeless  specters,  the  heroes  strayed  about  the 
endless  strand. 

They  embraced  each  other  and  they  said  farewell  as  they 
laid  down  upon  the  sand  that  might  blow  upon  them  and  over- 
whelm them  in  the  night.  They  wrapped  their  heads  in  their 
cloaks,  and,  fasting,  they  laid  themselves  down. 


150  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Jason  crouched  beside  the  ship,  so  troubled  that  his  life  nearly 
went  from  him.  He  saw  Medea  huddled  against  a  rock  and 
with  her  hair  streaming  on  the  sand.  He  saw  the  men  who, 
with  all  the  bravery  of  their  lives,  had  come  with  him,  stretched 
on  the  desert  sand,  weary  and  without  hope.  He  thought  that 
they,  the  best  of  men,  might  die  in  this  desert  with  their  deeds 
all  unknown;  he  thought  that  he  might  never  win  home  with 
Medea,  to  make  her  his  queen  in  Iolcus. 

He  lay  against  the  side  of  the  ship,  his  cloak  wrapped  around 
his  head.  And  there  death  would  have  come  to  him  and  to  the 
others  if  the  nymphs  of  the  desert  had  been  unmindful  of  these 
brave  men.  They  came  to  Jason.  It  was  midday  then,  and 
the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun  were  scorching  all  Libya.  They  drew 
off  the  cloak  that  wrapped  his  head;  they  stood  near  him, 
three  nymphs  girded  around  with  goatskins. 

"Why  art  thou  so  smitten  with  despair?"  the  nymphs 
said  to  Jason.  "Why  art  thou  smitten  with  despair,  thou  who 
hast  wrought  so  much  and  hast  won  so  much?  Up!  Arouse 
thy  comrades!  We  are  the  solitary  nymphs,  the  warders  of 
the  land  of  Libya,  and  we  have  come  to  show  a  way  of  escape 
to  you,  the  Argonauts. 

"Look  around  and  watch  for  the  time  when  Poseidon's  great 
horse  shall  be  unloosed.  Then  make  ready  to  pay  recompense 
to  the  mother  that  bore  you  all.  What  she  did  for  you  all, 
that  you  all  must  do  for  her;  by  doing  it  you  will  win  back  to 
the  land  of  Greece."     Jason  heard  them  say  these  words  and 


THE  RETURN   TO   GREECE  151 

then  he  saw  them  no  more;  the  nymphs  vanished  amongst  the 
desert  mounds. 

Then  Jason  rose  up.  He  did  not  know  what  to  make  out 
of  what  had  been  told  him,  but  there  was  courage  now  and 
hope  in  his  heart.  He  shouted;  his  voice  was  like  the  roar  of 
a  lion  calling  to  his  mate.  At  his  shout  his  comrades  roused 
themselves;  all  squalid  with  the  dust  of  the  desert  the  Argo- 
nauts stood  around  him. 

"Listen,  comrades,  to  me/'  Jason  said,  " while  I  speak  of  a 
strange  thing  that  has  befallen  me.  While  I  lay  by  the  side 
of  our  ship  three  nymphs  came  before  me.  With  light  hands 
they  drew  away  the  cloak  that  wrapped  my  head.  They  de- 
clared themselves  to  be  the  solitary  nymphs,  the  warders,  of 
Libya.  Very  strange  were  the  words  they  said  to  me.  When 
Poseidon's  great  horse  shall  be  unloosed,  they  said,  we  were 
to  make  the  mother  of  us  all  a  recompense,  doing  for  her  what 
she  had  done  for  us  all.  This  the  nymphs  told  me  to  say,  but 
I  cannot  understand  the  meaning  of  their  words." 

There  were  some  there  who  would  not  have  given  heed  to 
Jason's  words,  deeming  them  words  without  meaning.  But 
even  as  he  spoke  a  wonder  came  before  their  eyes.  Out  of  the 
far-off  sea  a  great  horse  leaped.  Vast  he  was  of  size  and  he 
had  a  golden  mane.  He  shook  the  spray  of  the  sea  off  his  sides 
and  mane.  Past  them  he  trampled  and  away  toward  the 
horizon,  leaving  great  tracks  in  the  sand. 

Then  Nestor  spoke  rejoicingly.     " Behold  the  great  horse! 


152  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

It  is  the  horse  that  the  desert  nymphs  spoke  of,  Poseidon's 
horse.  Even  now  has  the  horse  been  unloosed,  and  now  is  the 
time  to  do  what  the  nymphs  bade  us  do. 

"Who  but  Argo  is  the  mother  of  us  all?  She  has  carried  us. 
Now  we  must  make  her  a  recompense  and  carry  her  even  as 
she  carried  us.  With  untiring  shoulders  we  must  bear  Argo 
across  this  great  desert. 

"  And  whither  shall  we  bear  her?  Whither  but  along  the  tracks 
that  Poseidon's  horse  has  left  in  the  sand!  Poseidon's  horse  will 
not  go  under  the  earth  —  once  again  he  will  plunge  into  the  sea! " 

So  Nestor  said  and  the  Argonauts  saw  truth  in  his  saying. 
Hope  came  to  them  again  —  the  hope  of  leaving  that  desert 
and  coming  to  the  sea.  Surely  when  they  came  to  the  sea 
again,  and  spread  the  sail  and  held  the  oars  in  their  hands, 
their  sacred  ship  would  make  swift  course  to  their  native  land! 

VHL    THE  CARRYING  OF  THE  ARGO 

ITH  the  terrible  weight  of  the  ship  upon 
their  shoulders  the  Argonauts  made  their 
way  across  the  desert,  following  the  tracks 
of  Poseidon's  golden-maned  horse.  Like 
a  wounded  serpent  that  drags  with  pain 
its  length  along,  they  went  day  after  day 
across  that  limitless  land. 
A  day  came  when  they  saw  the  great  tracks  of  the  horse 


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THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  153 

no  more.  A  wind  had  come  up  and  had  covered  them  with 
sand.  With  the  mighty  weight  of  the  ship  upon  their  shoulders, 
with  the  sun  beating  upon  their  heads,  and  with  no  marks  on 
the  desert  to  guide  them,  the  heroes  stood  there,  and  it  seemed 
to  them  that  the  blood  must  gush  up  and  out  of  their  hearts. 

Then  Zetes  and  Calais,  sons  of  the  North  Wind,  rose  up  upon 
their  wings  to  strive  to  get  sight  of  the  sea.  Up,  up,  they  soared. 
And  then  as  a  man  sees,  or  thinks  he  sees,  at  the  month's  begin- 
ning, the  moon  through  a  bank  of  clouds,  Zetes  and  Calais,  look- 
ing over  the  measureless  land,  saw  the  gleam  of  water.  They 
shouted  to  the  Argonauts;  they  marked  the  way  for  them,  and 
wearily,  but  with  good  hearts,  the  heroes  went  upon  the  way. 

They  came  at  last  to  the  shore  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  wide 
inland  sea.  They  set  Argo  down  from  off  their  over- wearied 
shoulders  and  they  let  her  keel  take  water  once  more. 

All  salt  and  brackish  was  that  water;  they  dipped  their  hands 
into  and  tasted  the  salt.  Orpheus  was  able  to  name  the  water 
they  had  come  to;  it  was  that  lake  that  was  called  after  Triton, 
the  son  of  Nereus,  the  ancient  one  of  the  sea.  They  set  up  an 
altar  and  they  made  sacrifices  in  thanksgiving  to  the  gods. 

They  had  come  to  water  at  last,  but  now  they  had  to  seek 
for  other  water  —  for  the  sweet  water  that  they  could  drink. 
All  around  them  they  looked,  but  they  saw  no  sign  of  a  spring. 
And  then  they  felt  a  wind  blow  upon  them  —  a  wind  that  had 
in  it  not  the  dust  of  the  desert  but  the  fragrance  of  growing 
things.     Toward  where  that  wind  blew  from  they  went. 


154  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

As  they  went  on  they  saw  a  great  shape  against  the  sky; 
they  saw  mountainous  shoulders  bowed.  Orpheus  bade  them 
halt  and  turn  their  faces  with  reverence  toward  that  great 
shape:  for  this  was  Atlas  the  Titan,  the  brother  of  Prometheus, 
who  stood  there  to  hold  up  the  sky  on  his  shoulders. 

Then  they  were  near  the  place  that  the  fragrance  had  blown 
from:  there  was  a  garden  there;  the  only  fence  that  ran  around 
it  was  a  lattice  of  silver.  "  Surely  there  are  springs  in  the 
garden,"  the  Argonauts  said.  "We  will  enter  this  fair  garden 
now  and  slake  our  thirst." 

Orpheus  bade  them  walk  reverently,  for  all  around  them,  he 
said,  was  sacred  ground.  This  garden  was  the  Garden  of  the 
Hesperides  that  was  watched  over  by  the  Daughters  of  the 
Evening  Land.  The  Argonauts  looked  through  the  silver  lat- 
tice; they  saw  trees  with  lovely  fruit,  and  they  saw  three  maidens 
moving  through  the  garden  with  watchful  eyes.  In  this  garden 
grew  the  tree  that  had  the  golden  apples  that  Zeus  gave  to 
Hera  as  a  wedding  gift. 

They  saw  the  tree  on  which  the  golden  apples  grew.  The 
maidens  went  to  it  and  then  looked  watchfully  all  around  them. 
They  saw  the  faces  of  the  Argonauts  looking  through  the  silver 
lattice  and  they  cried  out,  one  to  the  other,  and  they  joined 
their  hands  around  the  tree. 

But  Orpheus  called  to  them,  and  the  maidens  understood 
the  divine  speech  of  Orpheus.  He  made  the  Daughters  of  the 
Evening  Land  know  that  they  who  stood  before  the  lattice  were 


THE   RETURN  TO   GREECE  155 

men  who  reverenced  the  gods,  who  would  not  strive  to  enter 
the  forbidden  garden.  The  maidens  came  toward  them. 
Beautiful  as  the  singing  of  Orpheus  was  their  utterance,  but 
what  they  said  was  a  complaint  and  a  lament. 

Their  lament  was  for  the  dragon  Ladon,  that  dragon  with  a 
hundred  heads  that  guarded  sleeplessly  the  tree  that  had  the 
golden  apples.  Now  that  dragon  was  slain.  With  arrows  that 
had  been  dipped  in  the  poison  of  the  Hydra's  blood  their  dragon, 
Ladon,  had  been  slain. 

The  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land  sang  of  how  a  mortal  had 
come  into  the  garden  that  they  watched  over.  He  had  a  great 
bow,  and  with  his  arrow  he  slew  the  dragon  that  guarded  the 
golden  apples.  The  golden  apples  he  had  taken  away;  they  had 
come  back  to  the  tree  they  had  been  plucked  from,  for  no  mortal 
might  keep  them  in  his  possession.  So  the  maidens  sang  — 
Hespere,  Eretheis,  and  -^Egle  —  and  they  complained  that  now, 
unhelped  by  the  hundred-headed  dragon,  they  had  to  keep 
guard  over  the  tree. 

The  Argonauts  knew  of  whom  they  told  the  tale  —  Heracles, 
their  comrade.     Would  that  Heracles  were  with  them  now! 

The  Hesperides  told  them  of  Heracles  —  of  how  the  springs 
in  the  garden  dried  up  because  of  his  plucking  the  golden  apples. 
He  came  out  of  the  garden  thirsting.  Nowhere  could  he  find 
a  spring  of  water.  To  yonder  great  rock  he  went.  He  smote 
it  with  his  foot  and  water  came  out  in  full  flow.  Then  he, 
leaning  on  his  hands  and  with  his  chest  upon  the  ground, 


156  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

drank  and  drank  from  the  water  that  flowed  from  the  rifted 
rock. 

The  Argonauts  looked  to  where  the  rock  stood.  They  caught 
the  sound  of  water.  They  carried  Medea  over.  And  then, 
company  after  company,  all  huddled  together,  they  stooped 
down  and  drank  their  fill  of  the  clear  good  water.  With  lips 
wet  with  the  water  they  cried  to  each  other,  "Heracles!  Al- 
though he  is  not  with  us,  in  very  truth  Heracles  has  saved  his 
comrades  from  deadly  thirst!" 

They  saw  his  footsteps  printed  upon  the  rocks,  and  they  fol- 
lowed them  until  they  led  to  the  sand  where  no  footsteps  stay. 
Heracles!  How  glad  his  comrades  would  have  been  if  they 
could  have  had  sight  of  him  then!  But  it  was  long  ago  — 
before  he  had  sailed  with  them  —  that  Heracles  had  been  here. 

Still  hearing  their  complaint  they  turned  back  to  the  lattice, 
to  where  the  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land  stood.  The 
Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land  bent  their  heads  to  listen  to 
what  the  Argonauts  told  one  another,  and,  seeing  them  bent 
to  listen,  Orpheus  told  a  story  about  one  who  had  gone  across 
the  Libyan  desert,  about  one  who  was  a  hero  like  unto 
Heracles. 

THE  STORY  OF  PERSEUS 

Beyond  where  Atlas  stands  there  is  a  cave  where  the  strange 
women,  the  ancient  daughters  of  Phorcys,  live.  They  have 
been  gray  from  their  birth.     They  have  but  one  eye  and  one 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  157 

tooth  between  them,  and  they  pass  the  eye  and  the  tooth,  one 
to  the  other,  when  they  would  see  or  eat.  They  are  called  the 
Graiai,  these  two  sisters. 

Up  to  the  cave  where  they  lived  a  youth  once  came.  He 
was  beardless,  and  the  garb  he  wore  was  torn  and  travel-stained, 
but  he  had  shapeliness  and  beauty.  In  his  leathern  belt  there 
was  an  exceedingly  bright  sword;  this  sword  was  not  straight 
like  the  swords  we  carry,  but  it  was  hooked  like  a  sickle.  The 
strange  youth  with  the  bright,  strange  sword  came  very  quickly 
and  very  silently  up  to  the  cave  where  the  Graiai  lived  and 
looked  over  a  high  boulder  into  it. 

One  was  sitting  munching  acorns  with  the  single  tooth.  The 
other  had  the  eye  in  her  hand.  She  was  holding  it  to  her  fore- 
head and  looking  into  the  back  of  the  cave.  These  two  ancient 
women,  with  their  gray  hair  falling  over  them  like  thick  fleeces, 
and  with  faces  that  were  only  forehead  and  cheeks  and  nose 
and  mouth,  were  strange  creatures  truly.  Very  silently  the 
youth  stood  looking  at  them. 

"  Sister,  sister,"  cried  the  one  who  was  munching  acorns, 
"sister,  turn  your  eye  this  way.     I  heard  the  stir  of  something." 

The  other  turned,  and  with  the  eye  placed  against  her  fore- 
head looked  out  to  the  opening  of  the  cave.  The  youth  drew 
back  behind  the  boulder.  "  Sister,  sister,  there  is  nothing  there," 
said  the  one  with  the  eye. 

Then  she  said:  "Sister,  give  me  the  tooth  for  I  would  eat 
my  acorns.     Take  the  eye  and  keep  watch." 


158  THE   GOLDEN   FLEECE 

The  one  who  was  eating  held  out  the  tooth,  and  the  one  who 
was  watching  held  out  the  eye.  The  youth  darted  into  the 
cave.  Standing  between  the  eyeless  sisters,  he  took  with  one 
hand  the  tooth  and  with  the  other  the  eye. 

"Sister,  sister,  have  you  taken  the  eye?" 

"I  have  not  taken  the  eye.    Have  you  taken  the  tooth?" 

"I  have  not  taken  the  tooth." 

"Some  one  has  taken  the  eye,  and  some  one  has  taken  the 
tooth." 

They  stood  together,  and  the  youth  watched  their  blinking 
faces  as  they  tried  to  discover  who  had  come  into  the  cave,  and 
who  had  taken  the  eye  and  the  tooth. 

Then  they  said,  screaming  together:  "Who  ever  has  taken 
the  eye  and  the  tooth  from  the  Graiai,  the  ancient  daughters 
of  Phorcys,  may  Mother  Night  smother  him." 

The  youth  spoke.  "Ancient  daughters  of  Phorcys,"  he  said, 
"  Graiai,  I  would  not  rob  from  you.  I  have  come  to  your  cave 
only  to  ask  the  way  to  a  place." 

"Ah,  it  is  a  mortal,  a  mortal,"  screamed  the  sisters.  "Well, 
mortal,  what  would  you  have  from  the  Graiai?" 

"Ancient  Graiai,"  said  the  youth,  "I  would  have  you  tell 
me,  for  you  alone  know,  where  the  nymphs  dwell  who  guard 
the  three  magic  treasures  —  the  cap  of  darkness,  the  shoes  of 
flight,  and  the  magic  pouch." 

"We  will  not  tell  you,  we  will  not  tell  you  that,"  screamed 
the  two  ancient  sisters. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  159 

"I  will  keep  the  eye  and  the  tooth/'  said  the  youth,  "and 
I  will  give  them  to  one  who  will  help  me." 

"Give  me  the  eye  and  I  will  tell  you,"  said  one.  "Give  me 
the  tooth  and  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  other.  The  youth  put 
the  eye  in  the  hand  of  one  and  the  tooth  in  the  hand  of  the 
other,  but  he  held  their  skinny  hands  in  his  strong  hands  until 
they  should  tell  him  where  the  nymphs  dwelt  who  guarded  the 
magic  treasures.  The  Gray  Ones  told  him.  Then  the  youth 
with  the  bright  sword  left  the  cave.  As  .ie  went  out  he  saw 
on  the  ground  a  shield  of  bronze,  and  he  took  it  with  him. 

To  the  other  side  of  where  Atlas  stands  he  went.  There  he 
came  upon  the  nymphs  in  their  valley.  They  had  long  dwelt 
there,  hidden  from  gods  and  men,  and  they  were  startled  to  see  a 
stranger  youth  come  into  their  hidden  valley.  They  tied  away. 
Then  the  youth  sat  on  the  ground,  his  head  bent  like  a  man 
who  is  very  sorrowful. 

The  youngest  and  the  fairest  of  the  nymphs  came  to  him  at 
last.  "Why  have  you  come,  and  why  do  you  sit  here  in  such 
great  trouble,  youth?"  said  she.  And  then  she  said:  "What 
is  this  strange  sickle-sword  that  you  wear?  Who  told  you  the 
way  to  our  dwelling  place?    What  name  have  you?" 

"I  have  come  here,"  said  the  youth,  and  he  took  the  bronze 
shield  upon  his  knees  and  began  to  polish  it,  "I  have  come  here 
because  I  want  you,  the  nymphs  who  guard  them,  to  give  to 
me  the  cap  of  larkness  and  the  shoes  of  flight  and  the  magic 
pouch.     I  must  gain  these  things;   without  them  I  must  go  to 


160  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

my  death.    Why  I  must  gain  them  you  will  know  from  my 
story." 

When  he  said  that  he  had  come  for  the  three  magic  treasures 
that  they  guarded,  the  kind  nymph  was  more  startled  than  she 
and  her  sisters  had  been  startled  by  the  appearance  of  the 
strange  youth  in  their  hidden  valley.  She  turned  away  from 
him.  But  she  looked  again  and  she  saw  that  he  was  beautiful 
and  brave  looking.  He  had  spoken  of  his  death.  The  nymph 
stood  looking  at  him  pitifully,  and  the  youth,  with  the  bronze 
shield  laid  beside  his  knees  and  the  strange  hooked  sword  lying 
across  it,  told  her  his  story. 

"I  am  Perseus,"  he  said,  "and  my  grandfather,  men  say,  is 
king  in  Argos.  His  name  is  Acrisius.  Before  I  was  born  a 
prophecy  was  made  to  him  that  the  son  of  Danae,  his  daughter, 
would  slay  him.  Acrisius  was  frightened  by  the  prophecy,  and 
when  I  was  born  he  put  my  mother  and  myself  into  a  chest, 
and  he  sent  us  adrift  upon  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

"I  did  not  know  what  a  terrible  peril  I  was  in,  for  I  was  an 
infant  newly  born.  My  mother  was  so  hopeless  that  she  came 
near  to  death.  But  the  wind  and  the  waves  did  not  destroy  us: 
they  brought  us  to  a  shore;  a  shepherd  found  the  chest,  and  he 
opened  it  and  brought  my  mother  and  myself  out  of  it  alive. 
The  land  we  had  come  to  was  Seriphus.  The  shepherd  who 
found  the  chest  and  who  rescued  my  mother  and  myself  was 
the  brother  of  the  king.     His  name  was  Dictys. 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  161 

"In  the  shepherd's  wattled  house  my  mother  stayed  with  me, 
a  little  infant,  and  in  that  house  I  grew  from  babyhood  to  child- 
hood, and  from  childhood  to  boyhood.  He  was  a  kind  man, 
this  shepherd  Dictys.  His  brother  Polydectes  had  put  him 
away  from  the  palace,  but  Dictys  did  not  grieve  for  that,  for 
he  was  happy  minding  his  sheep  upon  the  hillside,  and  he  was 
happy  in  his  little  hut  of  wattles  and  clay. 

"Polydectes,  the  king,  was  seldom  spoken  to  about  his 
brother,  and  it  was  years  before  he  knew  of  the  mother  and 
child  who  had  been  brought  to  live  in  Dictys's  hut.  But  at 
last  he  heard  of  us,  for  strange  things  began  to  be  said  about 
my  mother  —  how  she  was  beautiful,  and  how  she  looked  like 
one  who  had  been  favored  by  the  gods.  Then  one  day  when 
he  was  hunting,  Polydectes  the  king  came  to  the  hut  of  Dictys 
the  shepherd. 

"He  saw  Danae,  my  mother,  there.  By  her  looks  he  knew 
that  she  was  a  king's  daughter  and  one  who  had  been  favored 
by  the  gods.  He  wanted  her  for  his  wife.  But  my  mother 
hated  this  harsh  and  overbearing  king,  and  she  would  not  wed 
with  him.  Often  he  came  storming  around  the  shepherd's  hut, 
and  at  last  my  mother  had  to  take  refuge  from  him  in  a  temple. 
There  she  became  the  priestess  of  the  goddess. 

"I  was  taken  to  the  palace  of  Polydectes,  and  there  I  was 
brought  up.  The  king  still  stormed  around  where  my  mother 
was,  more  and  more  bent  on  making  her  marry  him.  If  she 
had  not  been  in  the  temple  where  she  was  under  the  pro- 


162  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

tection  of  the  goddess  he  would  have  wed  her  against  her 
will. 

"But  I  was  growing  up  now,  and  I  was  able  to  give  some 
protection  to  my  mother.  My  arm  was  a  strong  one,  and  Poly- 
dectes  knew  that  if  he  wronged  my  mother  in  any  way,  I  had 
the  will  and  the  power  to  be  deadly  to  him.  One  day  I  heard 
him  say  before  his  princes  and  his  lords  that  he  would  wed, 
and  would  wed  one  who  was  not  Danae.  I  was  overjoyed  to 
hear  him  say  this.  He  asked  the  lords  and  the  princes  to  come 
to  the  wedding  feast;  they  declared  they  would,  and  they  told 
him  of  the  presents  they  would  bring. 

"Then  King  Polydectes  turned  to  me  and  he  asked  me  to 
come  to  the  wedding  feast.  I  said  I  would  come.  And  then, 
because  I  was  young  and  full  of  the  boast  of  youth,  and  because 
the  king  was  now  ceasing  to  be  a  terror  to  me,  I  said  that  I 
would  bring  to  his  wedding  feast  the  head  of  the  Gorgon. 

"The  king  smiled  when  he  heard  me  say  this,  but  he  smiled 
not  as  a  good  man  smiles  when  he  hears  the  boast  of  youth. 
He  smiled,  and  he  turned  to  the  princes  and  lords,  and  he  said: 
'Perseus  will  come,  and  he  will  bring  a  greater  gift  than  any 
of  you,  for  he  will  bring  the  head  of  her  whose  gaze  turns  Living 
creatures  into  stone.' 

"When  I  heard  the  king  speak  so  grimly  about  my  boast  the 
fearfulness  of  the  thing  I  had  spoken  of  doing  came  over  me. 
I  thought  for  an  instant  that  the  Gorgon's  head  appeared  before 
me,  and  that  I  was  then  and  there  turned  into  stone. 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  163 

"The  day  of  the  wedding  feast  came.  I  came  and  I  brought 
no  gift.  I  stood  with  my  head  hanging  for  shame.  Then  the 
princes  and  the  lords  came  forward,  and  they  showed  the  great 
gifts  of  horses  that  they  had  brought.  I  thought  that  the  king 
would  forget  about  me  and  about  my  boast.  And  then  I  heard 
him  call  my  name.  'Perseus/  he  said,  ' Perseus,  bring  before 
us  now  the  Gorgon's  head  that,  as  you  told  us,  you  would  bring 
for  the  wedding  gift.' 

"The  princes  and  lords  and  people  looked  toward  me,  and 
I  was  filled  with  a  deeper  shame.  I  had  to  say  that  I  had  failed 
to  bring  a  present.  Then  that  harsh  and  overbearing  king 
shouted  at  me.  'Go  forth,'  he  said,  'go  forth  and  fetch  the 
present  that  you  spoke  of.  If  you  do  not  bring  it  remain  for- 
ever out  of  my  country,  for  in  Seriphus  we  will  have  no  empty 
boasters.'  The  lords  and  the  princes  applauded  what  the  king 
said;  the  people  were  sad  for  me  and  sad  for  my  mother,  but 
they  might  not  do  anything  to  help  me,  so  just  and  so  due  to 
me  did  the  words  of  the  king  seem.  There  was  no  help  for  it, 
and  I  had  to  go  from  the  country  of  Seriphus,  leaving  my  mother 
at  the  mercy  of  Poly  dec  tes. 

"I  bade  good-by  to  my  sorrowful  mother  and  I  went  from 
Seriphus  —  from  that  land  that  I  might  not  return  to  without 
the  Gorgon's  head.  I  traveled  far  from  that  country.  One 
day  I  sat  down  in  a  lonely  place  and  prayed  to  the  gods  that 
my  strength  might  be  equal  to  the  will  that  now  moved  in  me 
• —  the  will  to  take  the  Gorgon's  head,  and  take  from  my  name 


164  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

the  shame  of  a  broken  promise,  and  win  back  to  Seriphus  to 
save  my  mother  from  the  harshness  of  the  king. 

"When  I  looked  up  I  saw  one  standing  before  me.  He  was 
a  youth,  too,  but  I  knew  by  the  way  he  moved,  and  I  knew  by 
the  brightness  of  his  face  and  eyes,  that  he  was  of  the  immor- 
tals. I  raised  my  hands  in  homage  to  him,  and  he  came  near 
me.  ' Perseus,'  he  said,  'if  you  have  the  courage  to  strive,  the 
way  to  win  the  Gorgon's  head  will  be  shown  you.'  I  said  that 
I  had  the  courage  to  strive,  and  he  knew  that  I  was  making 
no  boast. 

"He  gave  me  this  bright  sickle-sword  that  I  carry.  He  told 
me  by  what  ways  I  might  come  near  enough  to  the  Gorgons 
without  being  turned  into  stone  by  their  gaze.  He  told  me 
how  I  might  slay  the  one  of  the  three  Gorgons  who  was  not 
immortal,  and  how,  having  slain  her,  I  might  take  her  head 
and  flee  without  being  torn  to  pieces  by  her  sister  Gorgons. 

"Then  I  knew  that  I  should  have  to  come  on  the  Gorgons 
from  the  air.  I  knew  that  having  slain  the  one  that  could  be 
slain  I  should  have  to  fly  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  And  I 
knew  that  that  speed  even  would  not  save  me  —  I  sh  uld  have 
to  be  hidden  in  my  flight.  To  win  the  head  and  save  myself 
I  would  need  three  magic  things  —  the  shoes  of  flight  and  the 
magic  pouch,  and  the  dogskin  cap  of  Hades  that  makes  its 
wearer  invisible. 

"The  youth  said:  "The  magic  pouch  and  the  shoes  of  flight 
and  the  dogskin  cap  of  Hades  are  in  the  keeping  of  the  nymphs 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  165 

whose  dwelling  place  no  mortal  knows.  I  may  not  tell 
you^where  their  dwelling  place  is.  But  from  the  Gray  Ones, 
from  the  ancient  daughters  of  Phorcys  who  live  in  a  cave 
near  where  Atlas  stands,  you  may  learn  where  their  dwelling 
place  is.' 

"  Thereupon  he  told  me  how  I  might  come  to  the  Graiai,  and 
how  I  might  get  them  to  tell  me  where  you,  the  nymphs,  had 
your  dwelling.  The  one  who  spoke  to  me  was  Hermes,  whose 
dwelling  is  on  Olympus.  By  this  sickle-sword  that  he  gave 
me  you  will  know  that  I  speak  the  truth." 

Perseus  ceased  speaking,  and  she  who  was  the  youngest  and 
fairest  of  the  nymphs  came  nearer  to  him.  She  knew  that  he 
spoke  truthfully,  and  besides  she  had  pity  for  the  youth.  "  But  we 
are  the  keepers  of  the  magic  treasures,"  she  said,  "and  some 
one  whose  need  is  greater  even  than  yours  may  some  time  require 
them  from  us.  But  will  you  swear  that  you  will  bring  the  magic 
treasures  back  to  us  when  you  have  slain  the  Gorgon  and  have 
taken  her  head?" 

Perseus  declared  that  he  would  bring  the  magic  treasures 
back  to  the  nymphs  and  leave  them  once  more  in  their  keep- 
ing. Then  the  nymph  who  had  compassion  for  him  called  to 
the  others.  They  spoke  together  while  Perseus  stayed  far 
away  from  them,  polishing  his  shield  of  bronze.  At  last  the 
nymph  who  had  listened  to  him  came  back,  the  others  following 
her.    They  brought  to  Perseus  and  they  put  into  his  hands  the 


1 66  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

things  they  had  guarded  —  the  cap  made  from  dogskin  that  had 
been  brought  up  out  of  Hades,  a  pair  of  winged  shoes,  and  a  long 
pouch  that  he  could  hang  across  his  shoulder. 

And  so  with  the  shoes  of  flight  and  the  cap  of  darkness  and 
the  magic  pouch,  Perseus  went  to  seek  the  Gorgons.  The 
sickle-sword  that  Hermes  gave  him  was  at  his  side,  and  on  his 
arm  he  held  the  bronze  shield  that  was  now  well  polished. 

He  went  through  the  air,  taking  a  way  that  the  nymphs  had 
shown  him.  He  came  to  Oceanus  that  was  the  rim  around  the 
world.  He  saw  forms  that  were  of  living  creatures  all  in  stone, 
and  he  knew  that  he  was  near  the  place  where  the  Gorgons  had 
their  lair. 

Then,  looking  upon  the  surface  of  his  polished  shield,  he  saw 
the  Gorgons  below  him.  Two  Were  covered  with  hard  serpent 
scales;  they  had  tusks  that  were  long  and  were  like  the  tusks 
of  boars,  and  they  had  hands  of  gleaming  brass  and  wings  of 
shining  gold.  Still  looking  upon  the  shining  surface  of  his  shield 
Perseus  went  down  and  down.  He  saw  the  third  sister  —  she 
who  was  not  immortal.  She  had  a  woman's  face  and  form,  and 
her  countenance  was  beautiful,  although  there  was  something 
deadly  in  its  fairness.  The  two  scaled  and  winged  sisters 
were  asleep,  but  the  third,  Medusa,  was  awake,  and  she  was 
tearing  with  her  hands  a  lizard  that  had  come  near  her. 

Upon  her  head  was  a  tangle  of  serpents  all  with  heads  raised 
as  though  they  were  hissing.     Still  looking  into  the  mirror  of 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  167 

his  shield  Perseus  came  down  and  over  Medusa.  He  turned 
his  head  away  from  her.  Then,  with  a  sweep  of  the  sickle- 
sword  he  took  her  head  off.  There  was  no  scream  from  the 
Gorgon,  but  the  serpents  upon  her  head  hissed  loudly. 

Still  with  his  face  turned  from  it  he  lifted  up  the  head  by  its 
tangle  of  serpents.  He  put  it  into  the  magic  pouch.  He  rose 
up  in  the  air.  But  now  the  Gorgon  sisters  were  awake.  They 
had  heard  the  hiss  of  Medusa's  serpents,  and  now  they  looked 
upon  her  headless  body.  They  rose  up  on  their  golden  wings, 
and  their  brazen  hands  were  stretched  out  to  tear  the  one  who 
had  slain  Medusa.     As  they  flew  after  him  they  screamed  aloud. 

Although  he  flew  like  the  wind  the  Gorgon  sisters  would  have 
overtaken  him  if  he  had  been  plain  to  their  eyes.  But  the  dog- 
skin cap  of  Hades  saved  him,  for  the  Gorgon  sisters  did  not 
know  whether  he  was  above  or  below  them,  behind  or  before 
them.  On  Perseus  went,  flying  toward  where  Atlas  stood. 
He  flew  over  this  place,  over  Libya.  Drops  of  blood  from 
Medusa's  head  fell  down  upon  the  desert.  They  were  changed 
and  became  the  deadly  serpents  that  are  on  these  sands  and 
around  these  rocks.  On  and  on  Perseus  flew  toward  Atlas 
and  toward  the  hidden  valley  where  the  nymphs  who  were 
again  to  guard  the  magic  treasures  had  their  dwelling  place. 
But  before  he  came  to  the  nymphs  Perseus  had  another  adven- 
ture. 

In  Ethopia,  which  is  at  the  other  side  of  Libya,  there  ruled  a 


1 68  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

king  whose  name  was  Cepheus.  This  king  had  permitted  his 
queen  to  boast  that  she  was  more  beautiful  than  the  nymphs 
of  the  sea.  In  punishment  for  the  queen's  impiety  and  for  the 
king's  folly  Poseidon  sent  a  monster  out  of  the  sea  to  waste 
that  country.  Every  year  the  monster  came,  destroying  more 
and  more  of  the  country  of  Ethopia.  Then  the  king  asked  of 
an  oracle  what  he  should  do  to  save  his  land  and  his  people. 
The  oracle  spoke  of  a  dreadful  thing  that  he  would  have  to  do 
—  he  would  have  to  sacrifice  his  daughter,  the  beautiful  Prin- 
cess Andromeda. 

The  king  was  forced  by  his  savage  people  to  take  the  maiden 
Andromeda  and  chain  her  to  a  rock  on  the  seashore,  leaving 
her  there  for  the  monster  to  devour  her,  satisfying  himself  with 
that  prey. 

Perseus,  flying  near,  heard  the  maiden's  laments.  He  saw 
her  lovely  body  bound  with  chains  to  the  rock.  He  came  near 
her,  taking  the  cap  of  darkness  off  his  head.  She  saw  him,  and 
she  bent  her  head  in  shame,  for  she  thought  that  he  would 
think  that  it  was  for  some  dreadful  fault  of  her  own  that  she 
had  been  left  chained  in  that  place. 

Her  father  had  stayed  near.  Perseus  saw  him,  and  called 
to  him,  and  bade  him  tell  why  the  maiden  was  chained  to  the 
rock.  The  king  told  Perseus  of  the  sacrifice  that  he  had  been 
forced  to  make.  Then  Perseus  came  near  the  maiden,  and  he 
saw  how  she  looked  at  him  with  pleading  eyes. 

Then  Perseus  made  her  father  promise  that  he  would  give 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  169 

Andromeda  to  him  for  his  wife  if  he  should  slay  the  sea  monster. 
Gladly  Cepheus  promised  this.  Then  Perseus  once  again  drew 
his  sickle-sword;  by  the  rock  to  which  Andromeda  was  still 
chained  he  waited  for  sight  of  the  sea  monster. 

It  came  rolling  in  from  the  open  sea,  a  shapeless  and  unsightly 
thing.  With  the  shoes  of  flight  upon  his  feet  Perseus  rose  above 
it.  The  monster  saw  his  shadow  upon  the  water,  and  sav- 
agely it  went  to  attack  the  shadow.  Perseus  swooped  down 
as  an  eagle  swoops  down;  with  his  sickle-sword  he  attacked  it, 
and  he  struck  the  hook  through  the  monster's  shoulder.  Ter- 
ribly it  reared  up  from  the  sea.  Perseus  rose  over  it,  escaping 
its  wide-opened  mouth  with  its  treble  rows  of  fangs.  Again  he 
swooped  and  struck  at  it.  Its  hide  was  covered  all  over  with 
hard  scales  and  with  the  shells  of  sea  things,  but  Perseus' s  sword 
struck  through  it.  It  reared  up  again,  spouting  water  mixed 
with  blood.  On  a  rock  near  the  rock  that  Andromeda  was 
chained  to  Perseus  alighted.  The  monster,  seeing  him,  bellowed 
and  rushed  swiftly  through  the  water  to  overwhelm  him.  As  it 
reared  up  he  plunged  the  sword  again  and  again  into  its  body. 
Down  into  the  water  the  monster  sank,  and  water  mixed  with 
blood  was  spouted  up  from  the  depths  into  which  it  sank. 

Then  was  Andromeda  loosed  from  her  chains.  Perseus,  the 
conqueror,  lifted  up  the  fainting  maiden  and  carried  her  back 
to  the  king's  palace.  And  Cepheus  there  renewed  his  promise 
to  give  her  in  marriage  to  her  deliverer. 

Perseus  went  on  his  way.     He  came  to  the  hidden  valley 


170  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

where  the  nymphs  had  their  dwelling  place,  and  he  restored  to 
them  the  three  magic  treasures  that  they  had  given  him  —  the 
cap  of  darkness,  the  shoes  of  flight,  and  the  magic  pouch.  And 
these  treasures  are  still  there,  and  the  hero  who  can  win  his 
way  to  the  nymphs  may  have  them  as  Perseus  had  them. 

Again  he  returned  to  the  place  where  he  had  found  Andromeda 
chained.  With  face  averted  he  drew  forth  the  Gorgon's  head 
from  where  he  had  hidden  it  between  the  rocks.  He  made  a 
bag  for  it  out  of  the  horny  skin  of  the  monster  he  had  slain. 
Then,  carrying  his  tremendous  trophy,  he  went  to  the  palace 
\)f  King  Cepheus  to  claim  his  bride. 

Now  before  her  father  had  thought  of  sacrificing  her  to  the 
sea  monster  he  had  offered  Andromeda  in  marriage  to  a  prince 
of  Ethopia  —  to  a  prince  whose  name  was  Phineus.  Phineus 
did  not  strive  to  save  Andromeda.  But,  hearing  that  she  had 
been  delivered  from  the  monster,  he  came  to  take  her  for  his 
wife;  he  came  to  Cepheus's  palace,  and  he  brought  with  him  a 
thousand  armed  men. 

The  palace  of  Cepheus  was  filled  with  armed  men  when 
Perseus  entered  it.  He  saw  Andromeda  on  a  raised  place 
in  the  hall.  She  was  pale  as  when  she  was  chained  to  the  rock, 
and  when  she  saw  him  in  the  palace  she  uttered  a  cry  of 
gladness. 

Cepheus,  the  craven  king,  would  have  let  him  who  had  come 
with  the  armed  bands  take  the  maiden.     Perseus  came  beside 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  171 

Andromeda  and  he  made  his  claim.  Phineus  spoke  insolently 
to  him,  and  then  he  urged  one  of  his  captains  to  strike  Perseus 
down.  Many  sprang  forward  to  attack  him.  Out  of  the  bag 
Perseus  drew  Medusa's  head.  He  held  it  before  those  who  were 
bringing  strife  into  the  hall.  They  were  turned  to  stone.  One 
of  Cepheus's  men  wished  to  defend  Perseus:  he  struck  at  the 
captain  who  had  come  near;  his  sword  made  a  clanging  sound 
as  it  struck  this  one  who  had  looked  upon  Medusa's  head. 

Perseus  went  from  the  land  of  Ethopia  taking  fair  Andromeda 
with  him.  They  went  into  Greece,  for  he  had  thought  of  going 
to  Argos,  to  the  country  that  his  grandfather  ruled  over.  At 
this  very  time  Acrisius  got  tidings  of  Danae  and  her  son,  and 
he  knew  that  they  had  not  perished  on  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
Fearful  of  the  prophecy  that  told  he  would  be  slain  by  his 
grandson  and  fearing  that  he  would  come  to  Argos  to  seek  him, 
Acrisius  fled  out  of  his  country. 

He  came  into  Thessaly.  Perseus  and  Andromeda  were  there. 
Now,  one  day  the  old  king  was  brought  to  games  that  were 
being  celebrated  in  honor  of  a  dead  hero.  He  was  leaning  on 
his  staff,  watching  a  youth  throw  a  metal  disk,  when  something 
in  that  youth's  appearance  made  him  want  to  watch  him  more 
closely.  About  him  there  was  something  of  a  being  of  the 
upper  air;  it  made  Acrisius  think  of  a  brazen  tower  and  of  a 
daughter  whom  he  had  shut  up  there. 

He  moved  so  that  he  might  come  nearer  to  the  disk-thrower. 
But  as  he  left  where  he  had  been  standing  he  came  into  the 


172  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

line  of  the  thrown  disk.  It  struck  the  old  man  on  the  temple. 
He  fell  down  dead,  and  as  he  fell  the  people  cried  out  his  name 
—  "Acrisius,  King  Acrisius!"  Then  Perseus  knew  whom  the 
disk,  thrown  by  his  hand,  had  slain. 

And  because  he  had  slain  the  king  by  chance  Perseus  would 
not  go  to  Argos,  nor  take  over  the  kingdom  that  his  grand- 
father had  reigned  over.  With  Andromeda  he  went  to  Seriphus 
where  his  mother  was.  And  in  Seriphus  there  still  reigned  Poly- 
dectes,who  had  put  upon  him  the  terrible  task  of  winning  the 
Gorgon's  head. 

He  came  to  Seriphus  and  he  left  Andromeda  in  the  hut  of 
Dictys  the  shepherd.  No  one  knew  him;  he  heard  his  name 
spoken  of  as  that  of  a  youth  who  had  gone  on  a  foolish  quest 
and  who  would  never  again  be  heard  of.  To  the  temple  where 
his  mother  was  a  priestess  he  came.  Guards  were  placed  all 
around  it.  He  heard  his  mother's  voice  and  it  was  raised  in 
lament:  " Walled  up  here  and  given  over  to  hunger  I  shall  be 
made  go  to  Polydectes's  house  and  become  his  wife.  0  ye 
gods,  have  ye  no  pity  for  Danae,  the  mother  of  Perseus?" 

Perseus  cried  aloud,  and  his  mother  heard  his  voice  and  her 
moans  ceased.  He  turned  around  and  he  went  to  the  palace 
of  Polydectes,  the  king. 

The  king  received  him  with  mockeries.  "I  will  let  you  stay 
in  Seriphus  for  a  day,"  he  said,  "because  I  would  have  you  at 
a  marriage  feast.  I  have  vowed  that  Danae,  taken  from  the 
temple  where  she  sulks,  will  be  my  wife  by  to-morrow's  sunset." 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  173 

So  Polydectes  said,  and  the  lords  and  princes  who  were  around 
him  mocked  at  Perseus  and  flattered  the  king.  Perseus  went 
from  them  then.  The  next  day  he  came  back  to  the  palace. 
But  in  his  hands  now  there  was  a  dread  thing  —  the  bag  made 
from  the  hide  of  the  sea  monster  that  had  in  it  the  Gorgon's 
head. 

He  saw  his  mother.  She  was  brought  in  white  and  fainting, 
thinking  that  she  would  now  have  to  wed  the  harsh  and  over- 
bearing king.  Then  she  saw  her  son,  and  hope  came  into  her 
face. 

The  king  seeing  Perseus,  said:  "Step  forward,  0  youngling, 
and  see  your  mother  wed  to  a  mighty  man.  Step  forward  to 
witness  a  marriage,  and  then  depart,  for  it  is  not  right  that  a 
youth  that  makes  promises  and  does  not  keep  them  should  stay 
in  a  land  that  I  rule  over.  Step  forward  now,  you  with  the 
empty  hands." 

But  not  with  empty  hands  did  Perseus  step  forward.  He 
shouted  out:  "I  have  brought  something  to  you  at  last,  0  king 
—  a  present  to  you  and  your  mocking  friends.  But  you,  0  my 
mother,  and  you,  0  my  friends,  avert  your  faces  from  what  I 
have  brought."  Saying  this  Perseus  drew  out  the  Gorgon's 
head.  Holding  it  by  the  snaky  locks  he  stood  before  the  com- 
pany. His  mother  and  his  friends  averted  their  faces.  But 
Polydectes  and  his  insolent  friends  looked  full  upon  what  Per- 
seus showed.  "This  youth  would  strive  to  frighten  us  with 
some  conjuror's  trick,"  they  said.     They  said  no  more,  for  they 


174  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

became  as  stones,  and  as  stone  images  they  still  stand  in  that 
hall  in  Seriphus. 

He  went  to  the  shepherd's  hut,  and  he  brought  Dictys  from 
it  with  Andromeda.  Dictys  he  made  king  in  Polydectes's  stead. 
Then  with  Danae  and  Andromeda,  his  mother  and  his  wife,  he 
went  from  Seriphus. 

He  did  not  go  to  Argos,  the  country  that  his  grandfather  had 
ruled  over,  although  the  people  there  wanted  Perseus  to  come 
to  them,  and  be  king  over  them.  He  took  the  kingdom 
of  Tiryns  in  exchange  for  that  of  Argos,  and  there  he  lived 
with  Andromeda,  his  lovely  wife  out  of  Ethopia.  They  had 
a  son  named  Perses  who  became  the  parent  of  the  Persian 
people. 

The  sickle-sword  that  had  slain  the  Gorgon  went  back  to 
Hermes,  and  Hermes  took  Medusa's  head  also.  That  head 
Hermes's  divine  sister  set  upon  her  shield  —  Medusa's  head 
upon  the  shield  of  Pallas  Athene.  0  may  Pallas  Athene  guard 
us  all,  and  bring  us  out  of  this  land  of  sands  and  stone  where 
are  the  deadly  serpents  that  have  come  from  the  drops  of  blood 
that  fell  from  the  Gorgon's  head! 

They  turned  away  from  the  Garden  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
Evening  Land.  The  Argonauts  turned  from  where  the  giant 
shape  of  Atlas  stood  against  the  sky  and  they  went  toward  the 
Tritonian  Lake.  But  not  all  of  them  reached  the  Argo.  On  his 
way  back  to  the  ship,  Nauplius,  the  helmsman,  met  his  death. 

A  sluggish  serpent  was  in  his  way  —  it  was  not  a  serpent  that 


THE  RETURN  TO  GREECE  175 

would  strike  at  one  who  turned  from  it.  Nauplius  trod  upon  it, 
and  the  serpent  lifted  its  head  up  and  bit  his  foot.  They  raised 
him  on  their  shoulders  and  they  hurried  back  with  him.  But 
his  limbs  became  numb,  and  when  they  laid  him  down  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake  he  stayed  moveless.  Soon  he  grew  cold.  They 
dug  a  grave  for  Nauplius  beside  the  lake,  and  in  that  desert 
land  they  set  up  his  helmsman's  oar  in  the  middle  of  his  tomb 
of  heaped  stones. 

And  now  like  a  snake  that  goes  writhing  this  way  and  that 
way  and  that  cannot  find  the  cleft  in  the  rock  that  leads  to  its 
lair,  the  Argo  went  hither  and  thither  striving  to  rind  an  outlet 
from  that  lake.  No  outlet  could  they  find  and  the  way  of  their 
homegoing  seemed  lost  to  them  again.  Then  Orpheus  prayed 
to  the  son  of  Nereus,  to  Triton,  whose  name  was  on  that  lake, 
to  aid  them. 

Then  Triton  appeared.  He  stretched  out  his  hand  and 
showed  them  the  outlet  to  the  sea.  And  Triton  spoke  in 
friendly  wise  to  the  heroes,  bidding  them  go  upon  their  way 
in  joy.  "And  as  for  labor,"  he  said,  "let  there  be  no  grieving 
because  of  that,  for  limbs  that  have  youthful  vigor  should  still 
toil." 

They  took  up  the  oars  and  they  pulled  toward  the  sea,  and 
Triton,  the  friendly  immortal,  helped  them  on.  He  laid  hold 
upon  Ar go's  keel  and  he  guided  her  through  the  water.  The 
Argonauts  saw  him  beneath  the  water;    his  body,  from  his 


176  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

head  down  to  his  waist,  was  fair  and  great  and  like  to  the  body 
of  one  of  the  other  immortals.  But  below  his  body  was  like 
a  great  fish's,  forking  this  way  and  that.  He  moved  with  fins 
that  were  like  the  horns  of  the  new  moon.  Triton  helped  Argo 
along  until  they  came  into  the  open  sea.  Then  he  plunged 
down  into  the  abyss.  The  heroes  shouted  their  thanks  to  him. 
Then  they  looked  at  each  other  and  embraced  each  other  with 
joy,  for  the  sea  that  touched  upon  the  land  of  Greece  was  open 
before  them. 

IX.    NEAR  TO  IOLCUS  AGAIN 

LHE  sun  sank;  then  that  star  came  that 
bids  the  shepherd  bring  his  flock  to  the 
fold,  that  brings  the  wearied  plowman 
to  his  rest.  But  no  rest  did  that  star 
bring  to  the  Argonauts.  The  breeze  that 
filled  the  sail  died  down;  they  furled  the 
sail  and  lowered  the  mast;  then,  once 
again,  they  pulled  at  the  oars.  All  night  they  rowed,  and  all 
day,  and  again  when  the  next  day  came  on.  Then  they  saw 
the  island  that  is  halfway  to  Greece  —  the  great  and  fair  island 
of  Crete. 

It  was  Theseus  who  first  saw  Crete  —  Theseus  who  was  to 
come  to  Crete  upon  another  ship.  They  drew  the  Argo  near  the 
great  island;  they  wanted  water,  and  they  were  fain  to  rest  there. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  177 

Minos,  the  great  king,  ruled  over  Crete.  He  left  the  guard- 
ing of  the  island  to  one  of  the  race  of  bronze,  to  Talos,  who 
had  lived  on  after  the  rest  of  the  bronze  men  had  been  destroyed. 
Thrice  a  day  would  Talos  stride  around  the  island;  his  brazen 
feet  were  tireless. 

Now  Talos  saw  the  Argo  drawing  near.  He  took  up  great 
rocks  and  he  hurled  them  at  the  heroes,  and  very  quickly  they 
had  to  draw  their  ship  out  of  range. 

They  were  wearied  and  their  thirst  was  consuming  them. 
But  still  that  bronze  man  stood  there  ready  to  sink  their  ship 
with  the  great  rocks  that  he  took  up  in  his  hands.  Medea  stood 
forward  upon  the  ship,  ready  to  use  her  spells  against  the  man 
of  bronze. 

In  body  and  limbs  he  was  made  of  bronze  and  in  these  he  was 
invulnerable.  But  beneath  a  sinew  in  his  ankle  there  was  a 
vein  that  ran  up  to  his  neck  and  that  was  covered  by  a  thin 
skin.     If  that  vein  were  broken  Talos  would  perish. 

Medea  did  not  know  about  this  vein  when  she  stood  forward 
upon  the  ship  to  use  her  spells  against  him.  Upon  a  cliff  of 
Crete,  all  gleaming,  stood  that  huge  man  of  bronze.  Then,  as 
she  was  ready  to  fling  her  spells  against  him,  Medea  thought 
upon  the  words  that  Arete,  the  wise  queen,  had  given  her  — 
that  she  was  not  to  use  spells  and  not  to  practice  against  the 
life  of  any  one. 

But  she  knew  that  there  was  no  impiety  in  using  spells  and 
practicing  against  Talos,  for  Zeus  had  already  doomed  all  his 


178  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

race.  She  stood  upon  the  ship,  and  with  her  Magic  Song  she 
enchanted  him.  He  whirled  round  and  round.  He  struck  his 
ankle  against  a  jutting  stone.  The  vein  broke,  and  that  which 
was  the  blood  of  the  bronze  man  flowed  out  of  him  like  mol- 
ten lead.  He  stood  towering  upon  the  cliff.  Like  a  pine 
upon  a  mountaintop  that  the  woodman  had  left  half  hewn 
through  and  that  a  mighty  wind  pitches  against,  Talos  stood 
upon  his  tireless  feet,  swaying  to  and  fro.  Then,  emptied  of 
all  his  strength,  Minos's  man  of  bronze  fell  into  the  Cretan  Sea. 
The  heroes  landed.  That  night  they  lay  upon  the  land  of 
Crete  and  rested  and  refreshed  themselves.  When  dawn  came 
they  drew  water  from  a  spring,  and  once  more  they  went  on 
board  the  Argo. 

A  day  came  when  the  helmsman  said,  "To-morrow  we  shall 
see  the  shore  of  Thessaly,  and  by  sunset  we  shall  be  in  the  har- 
bor of  Pagasae.  Soon,  0  voyagers,  we  shall  be  back  in  the  city 
from  which  we  went  to  gain  the  Golden  Fleece." 

Then  Jason  brought  Medea  to  the  front  of  the  ship  so  that 
they  might  watch  together  for  Thessaly,  the  homeland.  The 
Mountain  Pelion  came  into  sight.  Jason  exulted  as  he  looked 
upon  that  mountain;  again  he  told  Medea  about  Chiron,  the 
ancient  centaur,  and  about  the  days  of  his  youth  in  the  forests 
of  Pelion. 

The  Argo  went  on;  the  sun  sank,  and  darkness  came  on. 
Never  was  there  darkness  such  as  there  was  on  that  night. 


THE  RETURN  TO   GREECE  179 

They  called  that  night  afterward  the  Pall  of  Darkness.  To 
the  heroes  upon  the  Argo  it  seemed  as  if  black  chaos  had  come 
over  the  world  again;  they  knew  not  whether  they  were  adrift 
upon  the  sea  or  upon  the  River  of  Hades.  No  star  pierced  the 
darkness  nor  no  beam  from  the  moon. 

After  a  night  that  seemed  many  nights  the  dawn  came.  In 
the  sunrise  they  saw  the  land  of  Thessaly  with  its  mountain,  its 
forests,  and  its  fields.  They  hailed  each  other  as  if  they  had  met 
after  a  long  parting.     They  raised  the  mast  and  unfurled  the  sail. 

But  not  toward  Pagasae  did  they  go.  For  now  the  voice 
of  Argo  came  to  them,  shaking  their  hearts:  Jason  and  Orpheus, 
Castor  and  Polydeuces,  Zetes  and  Calais,  Peleus  and  Telamon, 
Theseus,  Admetus,  Nestor,  and  Atalanta,  heard  the  cry  of  their 
ship.  And  the  voice  of  Argo  warned  them  not  to  go  into  the 
harbor  of  Pagasae. 

As  they  stood  upon  the  ship,  looking  toward  Iolcus,  sorrow 
came  over  all  the  heroes,  such  sorrow  as  made  their  hearts 
nearly  break.     For  long  they  stood  there  in  utter  numbness. 

Then  Admetus  spoke  —  Admetus  who  was  the  happiest  of 
all  those  who  went  in  quest  of  the  Golden  Fleece.  "Although 
we  may  not  go  into  the  harbor  of  Pagasae,  nor  into  the  city  of 
Iolcus,"  Admetus  said,  "  still  we  have  come  to  the  land  of 
Greece.  There  are  other  harbors  and  other  cities  that  we  may 
go  into.  And  in  all  the  places  that  we  go  to  we  will  be  honored, 
for  we  have  gone  through  toils  and  dangers,  and  we  have  brought 
to  Greece  the  famous  Fleece  of  Gold." 


180  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

So  Admetus  said,  and  their  spirits  came  back  again  to  the 
heroes  —  came  back  to  all  of  them  save  Jason.  The  rest  had 
other  cities  to  go  to,  and  fathers  and  mothers  and  friends  to 
greet  them  in  other  places,  but  for  Jason  there  was  only  Iolcus- 

Medea  took  his  hand,  and  sorrow  for  him  overcame  her. 
For  Medea  could  divine  what  had  happened  in  Iolcus  and  why 
it  was  that  the  heroes  might  not  go  there. 

It  was  to  Corinth  that  the  Argo  went.  Creon,  the  king  of 
Corinth,  welcomed  them  and  gave  great  honor  to  the  heroes 
who  had  faced  such  labors  and  such  dangers  to  bring  the  world's 
wonder  to  Greece. 

The  Argonauts  stayed  together  until  they  went  to  Calydon, 
to  hunt  the  boar  that  ravaged  Prince  Meleagrus's  country. 
After  that  they  separated,  each  one  going  to  his  own  land. 
Jason  came  back  to  Corinth  where  Medea  stayed.  And  in  Cor- 
inth he  had  tidings  of  the  happenings  in  Iolcus. 

King  Pelias  now  ruled  more  fearfully  in  Iolcus,  having  brought 
down  from  the  mountains  more  and  fiercer  soldiers.  And 
^Eson,  Jason's  father,  and  Alcimide,  his  mother,  were  now 
dead,  having  been  slain  by  King  Pelias. 

This  Jason  heard  from  men  who  came  into  Corinth  from 
Thessaly.  And  because  of  the  great  army  that  Pelias  had 
gathered  there,  Jason  might  not  yet  go  into  Iolcus,  either  to 
exact  a  vengeance,  or  to  show  the  people  The  Golden  Fleece 
that  he  had  gone  so  far  to  gain. 


PART  III.  THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST 


I.    ATALANTA  THE  HUNTRESS 


HEY  came  once  more  together,  the  heroes 
of  the  quest,  to  hunt  a  boar  in  Caly- 
don  —  Jason  and  Peleus  came,  Telamon, 
Theseus,  and  rough  Areas,  Nestor  and 
Helen's  brothers  Polydeuces  and  Castor. 
And,  most  noted  of  all,  there  came  the 
Arcadian  huntress  maid,  Atalanta. 
Beautiful  they  all  thought  her  when  they  knew  her  aboard 
the  Argo.  But  even  more  beautiful  Atalanta  seemed  to  the 
heroes  when  she  came  amongst  them  in  her  hunting  gear.  Her 
lovely  hair  hung  in  two  bands  across  her  shoulders,  and  over 
her  breast  hung  an  ivory  quiver  filled  with  arrows.  They  said 
that  her  face  with  its  wide  and  steady  eyes  was  maidenly  for 
a  boy's,  and  boyish  for  a  maiden's  face.  Swiftly  she  moved 
with  her  head  held  high,  and  there  was  not  one  amongst  the 
heroes  who  did  not  say,  "Oh,  happy  would  that  man  be  whom 
Atalanta  the  un wedded  would  take  for  her  husband!" 

All  the  heroes  said  it,  but  the  one  who  said  it  most  feelingly 
was  the  prince  of  Calydon,  young  Meleagrus.  He  more  than 
the  other  heroes  felt  the  wonder  of  Atalanta's  beauty. 

183 


184  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Now  the  boar  they  had  come  to  hunt  was  a  monster  boar. 
It  had  come  into  Calydon  and  it  was  laying  waste  the  fields 
and  orchards  and  destroying  the  people's  cattle  and  horses. 
That  boar  had  been  sent  into  Calydon  by  an  angry  divinity. 
For  when  CEneus,  the  king  of  the  country,  was  making  sacri- 
fice to  the  gods  in  thanksgiving  for  a  bounteous  harvest,  he 
had  neglected  to  make  sacrifice  to  the  goddess  of  the  wild  things, 
Artemis.  In  her  anger  Artemis  had  sent  the  monster  boar  to 
lay  waste  (Eneus's  realm. 

It  was  a  monster  boar  indeed  —  one  as  huge  as  a  bull,  with 
tusks  as  great  as  an  elephant's;  the  bristles  on  its  back  stood  up 
like  spear  points,  and  the  hot  breath  of  the  creature  withered 
the  growth  on  the  ground.  The  boar  tore  up  the  corn  in  the 
fields  and  trampled  down  the  vines  with  their  clusters  and  heavy 
bunches  oi  grapes;  also  it  rushed  against  the  cattle  and  de- 
stroyed them  in  the  fields.  And  no  hounds  the  huntsmen  were 
able  to  bring  could  stand  before  it.  And  so  it  came  to  pass 
that  men  had  to  leave  their  farms  and  take  refuge  behind  the 
walls  of  the  city  because  of  the  ravages  of  the  boar.  It  was 
then  that  the  rulers  of  Calydon  sent  for  the  heroes  of  the  quest 
to  join  with  them  in  hunting  the  monster. 

Calydon  itself  sent  Prince  Meleagrus  and  his  two  uncles, 
Plexippus  and  Toxeus.  They  were  brothers  to  Meleagrus's 
mother,  Althaea.  Now  Althaea  was  a  woman  who  had  sight 
to  see  mysterious  things,  but  who  had  also  a  wayward  and 
passionate  heart.    Once,  after  her  son  Meleagrus  was  born,  she 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  185 

saw  the  three  Fates  sitting  by  her  hearth.  They  were  spinning 
the  threads  of  her  son's  life,  and  as  they  spun  they  sang  to  each 
other,  "An  equal  span  of  life  we  give  to  the  newborn  child, 
and  to  the  billet  of  wood  that  now  rests  above  the  blaze  of 
the  fire."  Hearing  what  the  Fates  sang  and  understanding  it 
Althaea  had  sprung  up  from  her  bed,  had  seized  the  billet  of 
wood,  and  had  taken  it  out  of  the  fire  before  the  flames  had 
burnt  into  it. 

That  billet  of  wood  lay  in  her  chest,  hidden  away.  And 
Meleagrus  nor  any  one  else  save  Althaea  knew  of  it,  nor  knew 
that  the  prince's  life  would  last  only  for  the  space  it  would  be 
kept  from  the  burning.  On  the  day  of  the  hunting  he  appeared 
as  the  strongest  and  bravest  of  the  youths  of  Calydon.  And  he 
knew  not,  poor  Meleagrus,  that  the  love  for  Atalanta  that  had 
sprung  into  his  heart  was  to  bring  to  the  fire  the  billet  of  wood 
on  which  his  life  depended. 

II 

As  Atalanta  went,  the  bow  in  her  hands,  Prince  Meleagrus 
pressed  behind  her.  Then  came  Jason  and  Peleus,  Telamon, 
Theseus  and  Nestor.  Behind  them  came  Meleagrus 's  dark- 
browed  uncles,  Plexippus  and  Toxeus.  They  came  to  a  forest 
that  covered  the  side  of  a  mountain.  Huntsmen  had  assem- 
bled here  with  hounds  held  in  leashes  and  with  nets  to  hold  the 
rushing  quarry.  And  when  they  had  all  gathered  together  they 
went  through  the  forest  on  the  track  of  the  monster  boar. 


186  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

It  was  easy  to  track  the  boar,  for  it  had  left  a  broad  trail 
through  the  forest.  The  heroes  and  the  huntsmen  pressed  on. 
They  came  to  a  marshy  covert  where  the  boar  had  its  lair. 
There  was  a  thickness  of  osiers  and  willows  and  tall  bullrushes, 
making  a  place  that  it  was  hard  for  the  hunters  to  go  through. 

They  roused  the  boar  with  the  blare  of  horns  and  it  came 
rushing  out.  Foam  was  on  its  tusks,  and  its  eyes  had  in  them 
the  blaze  of  fire.  On  the  boar  came,  breaking  down  the  thicket 
in  its  rush.  But  the  heroes  stood  steadily  with  the  points  of 
their  spears  toward  the  monster. 

The  hounds  were  loosed  from  their  leashes  and  they  dashed 
toward  the  boar.  The  boar  slashed  them  with  its  tusks  and 
trampled  them  into  the  ground.  Jason  flung  his  spear.  The 
spear  went  wide  of  the  mark.  Another,  Areas,  cast  his,  but 
the  wood,  not  the  point  of  the  spear,  struck  the  boar,  rous- 
ing it  further.  Then  its  eyes  flamed,  and  like  a  great  stone  shot 
from  a  catapult  the  boar  rushed  on  the  huntsmen  who  were 
stationed  to  the  right.  In  that  rush  it  flung  two  youths  prone 
upon  the  ground. 

Then  might  Nestor  have  missed  his  going  to  Troy  and  his 
part  in  that  story,  for  the  boar  swerved  around  and  was  upon 
him  in  an  instant.  Using  his  spear  as  a  leaping  pole  he  vaulted 
upward  and  caught  the  branches  of  a  tree  as  the  monster  dashed 
the  spear  down  in  its  rush.  In  rage  the  beast  tore  at  the  trunk 
of  the  tree.  The  heroes  might  have  been  scattered  at  this 
moment,  for  Telamon  had  fallen,  tripped  by  the  roots  of  a  tree, 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  187 

and  Peleus  had  had  to  throw  himself  upon  him  to  pull  him  out 
of  the  way  of  danger,  if  Polydeuces  and  Castor  had  not  dashed 
up  to  their  aid.  They  came  riding  upon  high  white  horses, 
spears  in  their  hands.  The  brothers  cast  their  spears,  but 
neither  spear  struck  the  monster  boar. 

Then  the  boar  turned  and  was  for  drawing  back  into  the  thicket. 
They  might  have  lost  it  then,  for  its  retreat  was  impenetrable. 
But  before  it  got  clear  away  Atalanta  put  an  arrow  to  the 
string,  drew  the  bow  to  her  shoulder,  and  let  the  arrow  fly. 
It  struck  the  boar,  and  a  patch  of  blood  was  seen  upon  its 
bristles.  Prince  Meleagrus  shouted  out,  "0  first  to  strike  the 
monster!  Honor  indeed  shall  you  receive  for  this,  Arcadian 
maid." 

His  uncles  were  made  wroth  by  this  speech,  as  was  another, 
the  Arcadian,  rough  Areas.  Areas  dashed  forward,  holding 
in  his  hands  a  two-headed  axe.  "Heroes  and  huntsmen," 
he  cried,  "you  shall  see  how  a  man's  strokes  surpass  a  girl's." 
He  faced  the  boar,  standing  on  tiptoe  with  his  axe  raised  for  the 
stroke.  Meleagrus's  uncles  shouted  to  encourage  him.  But 
the  boar's  tusks  tore  him  before  Arcas's  axe  fell,  and  the  Arca- 
dian was  trampled  upon  the  ground. 

The  boar,  roused  again  by  Atalanta's  arrow,  turned  on  the 
hunters.  Jason  hurled  a  spear  again.  It  swerved  and  struck 
a  hound  and  pinned  it  to  the  ground.  Then,  speaking  the 
name  of  Atalanta,  Meleagrus  sprang  before  the  heroes  and  the 
huntsmen. 


188  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

He  had  two  spears  in  his  hands.  The  first  missed  and 
stuck  quivering  in  the  ground.  But  the  second  went  right 
through  the  back  of  the  monster  boar.  It  whirled  round  and 
round,  spouting  out  blood  and  foam.  Meleagrus  pressed  on, 
and  drove  his  hunting  knife  through  the  shoulders  of  the 
monster. 

His  uncles,  Plexippus  and  Toxeus,  were  the  first  to  come  to 
where  the  monster  boar  was  lying  outstretched.  "It  is  well, 
the  deed  you  have  done,  boy,"  said  one;  "it  is  well  that  none 
of  the  strangers  to  our  country  slew  the  boar.  Now  will  the 
head  and  tusks  of  the  monster  adorn  our  hall,  and  men  will 
know  that  the  arms  of  our  house  can  well  protect  this  land." 

But  one  word  only  did  Meleagrus  say,  and  that  word  was 
the  name,  "Atalanta."  The  maiden  came  and  Meleagrus,  his 
spear  upon  the  head,  said,  "Take,  O  fair  Arcadian,  the  spoil  of 
the  chase.  All  know  that  it  was  you  who  inflicted  the  first 
wound  upon  the  boar." 

Plexippus  and  Toxeus  tried  to  push  him  away,  as  if  Meleagrus 
was  still  a  boy  under  their  tutoring.  He  shouted  to  them  to 
stand  off,  and  then  he  hacked  out  the  terrible  tusks  and  held 
them  toward  Atalanta. 

She  would  have  taken  them,  for  she,  who  had  never  looked 
lovingly  upon  a  youth,  was  moved  by  the  beauty  and  the  gen- 
erosity of  Prince  Meleagrus.  She  would  have  taken  from  him 
the  spoil  of  the  chase.  But  as  she  held  out  her  arms  Meleagrus's 
uncles  struck  them  with  the  poles  of  their  spears.    Heavy 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  189 

marks  were  made  on  the  maiden's  white  arms.  Madness  then 
possessed  Meleagrus,  and  he  took  up  his  spear  and  thrust  it, 
first  into  the  body  of  Plexippus  and  then  into  the  body  of  Toxeus. 
His  thrusts  were  terrible,  for  he  was  filled  with  the  fierceness 
of  the  hunt,  and  his  uncles  fell  down  in  death. 

Then  a  great  horror  came  over  all  the  heroes.  They  raised 
up  the  bodies  of  Plexippus  and  Toxeus  and  carried  them  on 
their  spears  away  from  the  place  of  the  hunting  and  toward 
the  temple  of  the  gods.  Meleagrus  crouched  down  upon  the 
ground  in  horror  of  what  he  had  done.  Atalanta  stood  beside 
him,  her  hand  upon  his  head. 

in 

Althaea  was  in  the  temple  making  sacrifice  to  the  gods.  She 
saw  men  come  in  carrying  across  their  spears  the  bodies  of  two 
men.  She  looked  and  she  saw  that  the  dead  men  were  her  two 
brothers,  Plexippus  and  Toxeus. 

Then  she  beat  her  breast  and  she  filled  the  temple  with  the 
cries  of  her  lamentation.  "Who  has  slain  my  brothers?  Who 
has  slain  my  brothers?"  she  kept  crying  out. 

Then  she  was  told  that  her  son  Meleagrus  had  slain  her 
brothers.  She  had  no  tears  to  shed  then,  and  in  a  hard  voice 
she  asked,  "Why  did  my  son  slay  Plexippus  and  Toxeus,  his 
uncles?" 

The  one  who  was  wroth  with  Atalanta,  Areas  the  Arcadian, 


igo  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

came  to  her  and  told  her  that  her  brothers  had  been  slain  be- 
cause of  a  quarrel  about  the  girl  Atalanta. 

"My  brothers  have  been  slain  because  a  girl  bewitched  my 
son;  then  accursed  be  that  son  of  mine,"  Althaea  cried.  She 
took  off  the  gold-fringed  robe  of  a  priestess,  and  she  put  on  a 
black  robe  of  mourning. 

Her  brothers,  the  only  sons  of  her  father,  had  been  slain, 
and  for  the  sake  of  a  girl.  The  image  of  Atalanta  came  before 
her,  and  she  felt  she  could  punish  dreadfully  her  son.  But  her 
son  was  not  there  to  punish;  he  was  far  away,  and  the  girl 
for  whose  sake  he  had  killed  Plexippus  and  Toxeus  was  with 
him. 

The  rage  she  had  went  back  into  her  heart  and  made  her 
truly  mad.  "I  gave  Meleagrus  life  when  I  might  have  let  it 
go  from  him  with  the  burning  billet  of  wood,"  she  cried,  "and 
now  he  has  taken  the  lives  of  my  brothers."  And  then  her 
thought  went  to  the  billet  of  wood  that  was  hidden  in  the  chest. 

Back  to  her  house  she  went,  and  when  she  went  within  she 
saw  a  fire  of  pine  knots  burning  upon  the  hearth.  As  she  looked 
upon  their  burning  a  scorching  pain  went  through  her.  But 
she  went  from  the  hearth,  nevertheless,  and  into  the  inner 
room.  There  stood  the  chest  that  she  had  not  opened  for 
years.  She  opened  it  now,  and  out  of  it  she  took  the  billet 
of  wood  that  had  on  it  the  mark  of  the  burning. 

She  brought  it  to  the  hearth  fire.  Four  times  she  went  to 
throw  it  into  the  fire,  and  four  times  she  stayed  her  hand.     The 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  191 

fire  was  before  her,  but  it  was  in  her  too.  She  saw  the  images 
of  her  brothers  lying  dead,  and,  saying  that  he  who  had  slain 
them  should  lose  his  life,  she  threw  the  billet  of  wood  into  the 
fire  of  pine  knots. 

Straightway  it  caught  fire  and  began  to  burn.  And  Althaea 
cried,  "Let  him  die,  my  son,  and  let  naught  remain;  let  all 
perish  with  my  brothers,  even  the  kingdom  that  (Eneus,  my 
husband,  founded. " 

Then  she  turned  away  and  remained  stiffly  standing  by  the 
hearth,  the  life  withered  up  within  her.  Her  daughters  came 
and  tried  to  draw  her  away,  but  they  could  not  —  her  two 
daughters,  Gorge  and  Deianira. 

Meleagrus  was  crouching  upon  the  ground  with  Atalanta 
watching  beside  him.  Now  he  stood  up,  and  taking  her  hand 
he  said,  "Let  me  go  with  you  to  the  temple  of  the  gods  where  I 
shall  strive  to  make  atonement  for  the  deed  I  have  done  to-day." 

She  went  with  him.  But  even  as  they  came  to  the  street  of 
the  city  a  sharp  and  a  burning  pain  seized  upon  Meleagrus. 
More  and  more  burning  it  grew,  and  weaker  and  weaker  he 
became.  He  could  not  have  moved  further  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  aid  of  Atalanta.  Jason  and  Peleus  lifted  him  across 
the  threshold  and  carried  him  into  the  temple  of  the  gods. 

They  laid  him  down  with  his  head  upon  Atalanta's  lap.  The 
pain  within  him  grew  fiercer  and  fiercer,  but  at  last  it  died  down 
as  the  burning  billet  of  wood  sank  down  into  the  ashes.  The 
heroes  of  the  quest  stood  around,  all  overcome  with  woe.     In 


192 


THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 


the  street  they  heard  the  lamentations  for  Plexippus  and  Toxeus, 
for  Prince  Meleagrus,  and  for  the  passing  of  the  kingdom  founded 
by  (Eneus.  Atalanta  left  the  temple,  and  attended  by  the 
two  brothers  on  the  white  horses,  Polydeuces  and  Castor,  she 
went  back  to  Arcady. 


II.    PELEUS  AND  HIS  BRIDE  FROM  THE  SEA 


RINCE  PELEUS  came  on  his  ship  to  a 
bay  on  the  coast  of  Thessaly.  His  painted 
ship  lay  between  two  great  rocks,  and 
from  its  poop  he  saw  a  sight  that  en- 
chanted him.  Out  from  the  sea,  riding 
on  a  dolphin,  came  a  lovely  maiden. 
And  by  the  radiance  of  her  face  and 
limbs  Peleus  knew  her  for  one  of  the  immortal  goddesses. 

Now  Peleus  had  borne  himself  so  nobly  in  all  things  that 
he  had  won  the  favor  of  the  gods  themselves.  Zeus,  who  is 
highest  amongst  the  gods,  had  made  this  promise  to  Peleus: 
he  would  honor  him  as  no  one  amongst  the  sons  of  men  had 
been  honored  before,  for  he  would  give  him  an  immortal  goddess 
to  be  his  bride. 

She  who  came  out  of  the  sea  went  into  a  cave  that  was  over- 
grown with  vines  and  roses.     Peleus  looked  into  the  cave  and 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  193 

he  saw  her  sleeping  upon  skins  of  the  beasts  of  the  sea.  His 
heart  was  enchanted  by  the  sight,  and  he  knew  that  his  life 
would  be  broken  if  he  did  not  see  this  goddess  day  after  day. 
So  he  went  back  to  his  ship  and  he  prayed:  "0  Zeus,  now  I 
claim  the  promise  that  you  once  made  to  me.  Let  it  be  that 
this  goddess  come  with  me,  or  else  plunge  my  ship  and  me 
beneath  the  waves  of  the  sea." 

And  when  Peleus  said  this  he  looked  over  the  land  and  the 
water  for  a  sign  from  Zeus. 

Even  then  the  goddess  sleeping  in  the  cave  had  dreams  such 
as  had  never  before  entered  that  peaceful  resting  place  of  hers. 
She  dreamt  that  she  was  drawn  away  from  the  deep  and  the 
wide  sea.  She  dreamt  that  she  was  brought  to  a  place  that 
was  strange  and  unfree  to  her.  And  as  she  lay  in  the  cave, 
sleeping,  tears  that  might  never  come  into  the  eyes  of  an  im- 
mortal lay  around  her  heart. 

But  Peleus,  standing  on  his  painted  ship,  saw  a  rainbow 
touch  upon  the  sea.  He  knew  by  that  sign  that  Iris,  the  mes- 
senger of  Zeus,  had  come  down  through  the  air.  Then  a  strange 
sight  came  before  his  eyes.  Out  of  the  sea  rose  the  head  of  a 
man;  wrinkled  and  bearded  it  was,  and  the  eyes  were  very 
old.  Peleus  knew  that  he  who  was  there  before  him  was  Nereus, 
the  ancient  one  of  the  sea. 

Said  old  Nereus:  "Thou  hast  prayed  to  Zeus,  and  I  am  here 
to  speak  an  answer  to  thy  prayer.  She  whom  you  have  looked 
upon  is  Thetis,  the  goddess  of  the  sea.     Very  loath  will  she  be 


194  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

to  take  Zeus's  command  and  wed  with  thee.  It  is  her  desire 
to  remain  in  the  sea,  unwedded,  and  she  has  refused  marriage 
even  with  one  of  the  immortal  gods." 

Then  said  Peleus,  "Zeus  promised  me  an  immortal  bride. 
If  Thetis  may  not  be  mine  I  cannot  wed  any  other,  goddess  or 
mortal  maiden." 

"Then  thou  thyself  wilt  have  to  master  Thetis,"  said  Nereus, 
the  wise  one  of  the  sea.  "If  she  is  mastered  by  thee,  she  can- 
not go  back  to  the  sea.  She  will  strive  with  all  her  strength 
and  all  her  wit  to  escape  from  thee;  but  thou  must  hold  her  no 
matter  what  she  does,  and  no  matter  how  she  shows  herself. 
When  thou  hast  seen  her  again  as  thou  didst  see  her  at  first, 
thou  wilt  know  that  thou  hast  mastered  her."  And  when  he 
had  said  this  to  Peleus,  Nereus,  the  ancient  one  of  the  sea,  went 
under  the  waves. 

II 

With  his  hero's  heart  beating  more  than  ever  it  had  beaten 
yet,  Peleus  went  into  the  cave.  Kneeling  beside  her  he  looked 
down  upon  the  goddess.  The  dress  she  wore  was  like  green 
and  silver  mail.  Her  face  and  limbs  were  pearly,  but  through 
them  came  the  radiance  that  belongs  to  the  immortals. 

He  touched  the  hair  of  the  goddess  of  the  sea,  the  yellow 
hair  that  was  so  long  that  it  might  cover  her  all  over.  As  he 
touched  her  hair  she  started  up,  wakening  suddenly  out  of  her 
sleep.     His  hands  touched  her  hands  and  held  them.     Now  he 


THE   HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  195 

knew  that  if  he  should  loose  his  hold  upon  her  she  would  escape 
from  him  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  that  thereafter  no 
command  from  the  immortals  would  bring  her  to  him. 

She  changed  into  a  white  bird  that  strove  to  bear  itself  away. 
Peleus  held  to  its  wings  and  struggled  with  the  bird.  She 
changed  and  became  a  tree.  Around  the  trunk  of  the  tree 
Peleus  clung.  She  changed  once  more,  and  this  time  her  form 
became  terrible:  a  spotted  leopard  she  was  now,  with  burning 
eyes;  but  Peleus  held  to  the  neck  of  the  fierce-appearing  leopard 
and  was  not  affrighted  by  the  burning  eyes.  Then  she  changed 
and  became  as  he  had  seen  her  first  —  a  lovely  maiden,  with  the 
brow  of  a  goddess,  and  with  long  yellow  hair. 

But  now  there  was  no  radiance  in  her  face  or  in  her  limbs. 
She  looked  past  Peleus,  who  held  her,  and  out  to  the  wide  sea. 
"Who  is  he,"  she  cried,  "who  has  been  given  this  mastery 
over  me?" 

Then  said  the  hero:  "I  am  Peleus,  and  Zeus  has  given  me 
the  mastery  over  thee.  Wilt  thou  come  with  me,  Thetis?  Thou 
art  my  bride,  given  me  by  him  who  is  highest  amongst  the 
gods,  and  if  thou  wilt  come  with  me,  thou  wilt  always  be  loved 
and  reverenced  by  me." 

"Unwillingly  I  leave  the  sea,"  she  cried,  "unwillingly  I  go 
with  thee,  Peleus." 

But  life  in  the  sea  was  not  for  her  any  more  now  that  she 
was  mastered.  She  went  to  Peleus's  ship  and  she  went  to  Phthia, 
his  country.     And  when  the  hero  and  the  sea  goddess  were 


196  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

wedded  the  immortal  gods  and  goddesses  came  to  their  hall  and 
brought  the  bride  and  the  bridegroom  wondrous  gifts.  The  three 
sisters  who  are  called  the  Fates  came  also.  These  wise  and 
ancient  women  said  that  the  son  born  of  the  marriage  of  Peleus 
and  Thetis  would  be  a  man  greater  than  Peleus  himself. 


Ill 

Now  although  a  son  was  born  to  her,  and  although  this  son 
had  something  of  the  radiance  of  the  immortals  about  him, 
Thetis  remained  forlorn  and  estranged.  Nothing  that  her  hus- 
band did  was  pleasing  to  her.  Prince  Peleus  was  in  fear  that 
the  wildness  of  the  sea  would  break  out  in  her,  and  that  some 
great  harm  would  be  wrought  in  his  house. 

One  night  he  wakened  suddenly.  He  saw  the  fire  upon  his 
hearth  and  he  saw  a  figure  standing  by  the  fire.  It  was  Thetis, 
his  wife.  The  fire  was  blazing  around  something  that  she  held 
in  her  hands.  And  while  she  stood  there  she  was  singing  to 
herself  a  strange-sounding  song. 

And  then  he  saw  what  Thetis  held  in  her  hands  and  what 
the  fire  was  blazing  around;  it  was  the  child,  Achilles. 

Prince  Peleus  sprang  from  the  bed  and  caught  Thetis  around 
the  waist  and  lifted  her  and  the  child  away  from  the  blazing 
fire.  He  put  them  both  upon  the  bed,  and  he  took  from  her 
the  child  that  she  held  by  the  heel.  His  heart  was  wild  within 
him,  for  the  thought  that  wildness  had  come  over  his  wife,  and 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  197 

that  she  was  bent  upon  destroying  their  child.  But  Thetis 
looked  on  him  from  under  those  goddess  brows  of  hers  and  she 
said  to  him:  "By  the  divine  power  that  I  still  possess  I  would 
have  made  the  child  invulnerable;  but  the  heel  by  which  I 
held  him  has  not  been  endued  by  the  fire  and  in  that  place 
some  day  he  may  be  stricken.  All  that  the  fire  covered  is  in- 
vulnerable, and  no  weapon  that  strikes  there  can  destroy  his 
life.  His  heel  I  cannot  now  make  invulnerable,  for  now  the 
divine  power  is  gone  out  of  me." 

When  she  said  this  Thetis  looked  full  upon  her  husband,  and 
never  had  she  seemed  so  unforgiving  as  she  was  then.  All  the 
divine  radiance  that  had  remained  with  her  was  gone  from  her 
now,  and  she  seemed  a  white-faced  and  bitter-thinking  woman. 
And  when  Peleus  saw  that  such  a  great  bitterness  faced  him 
he  fled  from  his  house. 

He  traveled  far  from  his  own  land,  and  first  he  went  to  the 
help  of  Heracles,  who  was  then  in  the  midst  of  his  mighty  labors. 
Heracles  was  building  a  wall  around  a  city.  Peleus  labored, 
helping  him  to  raise  the  wall  for  King  Laomedon.  Then,  one 
night,  as  he  walked  by  the  wall  he  had  helped  to  build,  he  heard 
voices  speaking  out  of  the  earth.  And  one  voice  said:  "Why 
has  Peleus  striven  so  hard  to  raise  a  wall  that  his  son  shall 
fight  hard  to  overthrow?"  No  voice  replied.  The  wall  was 
built,  and  Peleus  departed.  The  city  around  which  the  wall 
was  built  was  the  great  city  of  Troy. 

In  whatever  place  he  went  Peleus  was  followed  by  the  hatred 


198  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

of  the  people  of  the  sea,  and  above  all  by  the  hatred  of  the 
nymph  who  is  called  Psamathe.  Far,  far  from  his  own  country 
he  went,  and  at  last  he  came  to  a  country  of  bright  valleys 
that  was  ruled  over  by  a  kindly  king  —  by  Ceyx,  who  was 
called  the  Son  of  the  Morning  Star. 

Bright  of  face  and  kindly  and  peaceable  in  all  his  ways  was 
this  king,  and  kindly  and  peaceable  was  the  land  that  he  ruled 
over.  And  when  Prince  Peleus  went  to  him  to  beg  for  his  pro- 
tection, and  to  beg  for  unfurrowed  fields  where  he  might  graze 
his  cattle,  Ceyx  raised  him  up  from  where  he  knelt.  "Peace- 
able and  plentiful  is  the  land,"  he  said,  "and  all  who  come  here 
may  have  peace  and  a  chance  to  earn  their  food.  Live  where 
you  will,  O  stranger,  and  take  the  unfurrowed  fields  by  the 
seashore  for  pasture  for  your  cattle." 

Peace  came  into  Peleus's  heart  as  he  looked  into  the  un- 
troubled face  of  Ceyx,  and  as  he  looked  over  the  bright  valleys 
of  the  land  he  had  come  into.  He  brought  his  cattle  to  the 
unfurrowed  fields  by  the  seashore  and  he  left  herdsmen  there 
to  tend  them.  And  as  he  walked  along  these  bright  valleys  he 
thought  upon  his  wife  and  upon  his  son  Achilles,  and  there 
were  gentle  feelings  in  his  breast.  But  then  he  thought  upon 
the  enmity  of  Psamathe,  the  woman  of  the  sea,  and  great  trouble 
came  over  him  again.  He  felt  he  could  not  stay  in  the  palace 
of  the  kindly  king.  He  went  where  his  herdsmen  camped  and 
he  lived  with  them.  But  the  sea  was  very  near  and  its  sound 
tormented  him,  and  as  the  days  went  by,  Peleus,  wild  looking 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE   QUEST  199 

and  shaggy,  became  more  and  more  unlike  the  hero  whom  once 
the  gods  themselves  had  honored. 

One  day  as  he  was  standing  near  the  palace  having  speech 
with  the  king,  a  herdsman  ran  to  him  and  cried  out:  "Peleus, 
Peleus,  a  dread  thing  has  happened  in  the  unfurrowed  fields." 
And  when  he  had  got  his  breath  the  herdsman  told  of  the  thing 
that  had  happened. 

They  had  brought  the  herd  down  to  the  sea.  Suddenly,  from 
the  marshes  where  the  sea  and  land  came  together,  a  monstrous 
beast  rushed  out  upon  the  herd;  like  a  wolf  this  beast  was,  but 
with  mouth  and  jaws  that  were  more  terrible  than  a  wolf's  even. 
The  beast  seized  upon  the  cattle.  Yet  it  was  not  hunger  that 
made  it  fierce,  for  the  beasts  that  it  killed  it  tore,  but  did 
not  devour.  It  rushed  on  and  on,  killing  and  tearing  more 
and  more  of  the  herd.  "Soon,"  said  the  herdsman,  "it  will  have 
destroyed  all  in  the  herd,  and  then  it  will  not  spare  to  destroy 
the  other  flocks  and  herds  that  are  in  the  land." 

Peleus  was  stricken  to  hear  that  his  herd  was  being  destroyed, 
but  more  stricken  to  know  that  the  land  of  a  friendly  king 
would  be  ravaged,  and  ravaged  on  his  account.  For  he  knew 
that  the  terrible  beast  that  had  come  from  where  the  sea  and  the 
land  joined  had  been  sent  by  Psamathe.  He  went  up  on  the  tower 
that  stood  near  the  king's  palace.  He  was  able  to  look  out  on  the 
sea  and  able  to  look  over  all  the  land.  And  looking  across  the 
bright  valleys  he  saw  the  dread  beast.  He  saw  it  rush  through  his 
own  mangled  cattle  and  fall  upon  the  herds  of  the  kindly  king. 


200  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

He  looked  toward  the  sea  and  he  prayed  to  Psamathe  to  spare 
the  land  that  he  had  come  to.  But,  even  as  he  prayed,  he  knew 
that  Psamathe  would  not  harken  to  him.  Then  he  made  a 
prayer  to  Thetis,  to  his  wife  who  had  seemed  so  unforgiving. 
He  prayed  her  to  deal  with  Psamathe  so  that  the  land  of  Ceyx 
would  not  be  altogether  destroyed. 

As  he  looked  from  the  tower  he  saw  the  king  come  forth 
with  arms  in  his  hands  for  the  slaying  of  the  terrible  beast. 
Peleus  felt  fear  for  the  life  of  the  kindly  king.  Down  from  the 
tower  he  came,  and  taking  up  his  spear  he  went  with  Ceyx. 

Soon,  in  one  of  the  brightest  of  the  valleys,  they  came  upon 
the  beast;  they  came  between  it  and  a  herd  of  silken-coated 
cattle.  Seeing  the  men  it  rushed  toward  them  with  blood  and 
foam  upon  its  jaws.  Then  Peleus  knew  that  the  spears  they 
carried  would  be  of  little  use  against  the  raging  beast.  His 
only  thought  was  to  struggle  with  it  so  that  the  king  might  be 
able  to  save  himself. 

Again  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and  prayed  to  Thetis  to  draw 
away  Psamathe's  enmity.  The  beast  rushed  toward  them; 
but  suddenly  it  stopped.  The  bristles  upon  its  body  seemed 
to  stiffen.  The  gaping  jaws  became  fixed.  The  hounds  that 
were  with  them  dashed  upon  the  beast,  but  then  fell  back  with 
yelps  of  disappointment.  And  when  Peleus  and  Ceyx  came  to 
where  it  stood  they  found  that  the  monstrous  beast  had  been 
turned  into  stone.  - 

And  a  stone  it  remains  in  that  bright  valley,  a  wonder  to  all 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  201 

the  men  of  Ceyx's  land.  The  country  was  spared  the  ravages 
of  the  beast.  And  the  heart  of  Peleus  was  uplifted  to  think 
that  Thetis  had  harkened  to  his  prayer  and  had  prevailed  upon 
Psamathe  to  forego  her  enmity.  Not  altogether  unforgiving 
was  his  wife  to  him. 

That  day  he  went  from  the  land  of  the  bright  valleys,  from 
the  land  ruled  over  by  the  kindly  Ceyx,  and  he  came  back  to 
rugged  Phthia,  his  own  country.  When  he  came  near  his  hall 
he  saw  two  at  the  doorway  awaiting  him.  Thetis  stood  there, 
and  the  child  Achilles  was  by  her  side.  The  radiance  of  the 
immortals  was  in  her  face  no  longer,  but  there  was  a  glow  there, 
a  glow  of  welcome  for  the  hero  Peleus.  And  thus  Peleus,  long 
tormented  by  the  enmity  of  the  sea-born  ones,  came  back  to 
the  wife  he  had  won  from  the  sea. 

in.    THESEUS  AND  THE  MINOTAUR 


HEREAFTER  Theseus  made  up  his 
mind  to  go  in  search  of  his  father,  the 
unknown  king,  and  Medea,  the  wise 
woman,  counseled  him  to  go  to  Athens. 
After  the  hunt  in  Calydon  he  set 
forth.  On  his  way  he  fought  with  and 
slew  two  robbers  who  harassed  countries 
and  treated  people  unjustly. 


202  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

The  first  was  Sinnias.  He  was  a  robber  who  slew  men  cruelly 
by  tying  them  to  strong  branches  of  trees  and  letting  the  branches 
fly  apart.  On  him  Theseus  had  no  mercy.  The  second  was  a 
robber  also,  Procrustes:  he  had  a  great  iron  bed  on  which  he 
made  his  captives  he;  if  they  were  too  long  for  that  bed  he 
chopped  pieces  off  them,  and  if  they  were  too  short  he  stretched 
out  their  bodies  with  terrible  racks.  On  him,  likewise,  Theseus 
had  no  mercy;  he  slew  Procrustes  and  gave  liberty  to  his  captives. 

The  King  of  Athens  at  the  time  was  named  ^Egeus.  He  was 
father  of  Theseus,  but  neither  Theseus  nor  he  knew  that  this 
was  so.  iEthra  was  his  mother,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of 
the  King  of  Trcezen.  Before  Theseus  was  born  his  father  left 
a  great  sword  under  a  stone,  telling  JEthm  that  the  boy  was 
to  have  the  sword  when  he  was  able  to  move  that  stone  away. 

King  ^Egeus  was  old  and  fearful  now:  there  were  wars  and 
troubles  in  the  city;  besides,  there  was  in  his  palace  an  evil 
woman,  a  witch,  to  whom  the  king  listened.  This  woman  heard 
that  a  proud  and  fearless  young  man  had  come  into  Athens, 
and  she  at  once  thought  to  destroy  him. 

So  the  witch  spoke  to  the  fearful  king,  and  she  made  him 
believe  that  this  stranger  had  come  into  Athens  to  make  league 
with  his  enemies  and  destroy  him.  Such  was  her  power  over 
^Egeus  that  she  was  able  to  persuade  him  to  invite  the  stranger 
youth  to  a  feast  in  the  palace,  and  to  give  him  a  cup  that  would 
have  poison  in  it. 

Theseus  came  to  the  palace.     He  sat  down  to  the  banquet 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  203 

with  the  king.  But  before  the  cup  was  brought  something 
moved  him  to  stand  up  and  draw  forth  the  sword  that  he  carried. 
Fearfully  the  king  looked  upon  the  sword.  Then  he  saw  the 
heavy  ivory  hilt  with  the  curious  carving  on  it,  and  he  knew 
that  this  was  the  sword  that  he  had  once  laid  under  the  stone 
near  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Trcezen.  He  questioned  Theseus 
as  to  how  he  had  come  by  the  sword,  and  Theseus  told  him 
how  /Ethra,  his  mother,  had  shown  him  where  it  was  hidden, 
and  how  he  had  been  able  to  take  it  from  under  the  stone  before 
he  was  grown  a  youth.  More  and  more  ^Egeus  questioned  him, 
and  he  came  to  know  that  the  youth  before  him  was  his  son 
indeed.  He  dashed  down  the  cup  that  had  been  brought  to 
the  table,  and  he  shook  all  over  with  the  thought  of  how  near 
he  had  been  to  a  terrible  crime.  The  witch  woman  watched 
all  that  passed;  mounting  on  a  car  drawn  by  dragons  she  made 
flight  from  Athens. 

And  now  the  people  of  the  city,  knowing  that  it  was  he  who 
had  slain  the  robbers  Sinnias  and  Procrustes,  rejoiced  to  have 
Theseus  amongst  them.  When  he  appeared  as  their  prince  they 
rejoiced  still  more.  Soon  he  was  able  to  bring  to  an  end  the 
wars  in  the  city  and  the  troubles  that  afflicted  Athens. 


n 

The  greatest  king  in  the  world  at  that  time  was  Minos,  King 
of  Crete.     Minos  had  sent  his  son  to  Athens  to  make  peace  and 


204  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

friendship  between  his  kingdom  and  the  kingdom  of  King  iEgeus. 
But  the  people  of  Athens  slew  the  son  of  King  Minos,  and  be- 
cause /Egeus  had  not  given  him  the  protection  that  a  king 
should  have  given  ?  stranger  come  upon  such  an  errand  he  was 
deemed  to  have  som^  part  in  the  guilt  of  his  slaying. 

Minos,  the  great  king,  was  wroth,  and  he  made  war  on  Athens, 
wreaking  great  destruction  upon  the  country  and  the  people. 
Moreover,  the  gods  themselves  were  wroth  with  Athens;  they 
punished  the  people  with  famine,  making  even  the  rivers  dry  up. 
The  Athenians  went  to  the  oracle  and  asked  Apollo  what  they 
should  do  to  have  their  guilt  taken  away.  Apollo  made  answer 
that  they  should  make  peace  with  Minos  and  fulfill  all  his 
demands. 

All  this  Theseus  now  heard,  learning  for  the  first  time  that 
behind  the  wars  and  troubles  in  Athens  there  was  a  deed  of  evil 
that  iEgeus,  his  father,  had  some  guilt  in. 

The  demands  that  King  Minos  made  upon  Athens  were  ter- 
rible. He  demanded  that  the  Athenians  should  send  into  Crete ' 
every  year  seven  youths  and  seven  maidens  as  a  price  for  the 
life  of  his  son.  And  these  youths  and  maidens  were  not  to 
meet  death  merely,  nor  were  they  to  be  reared  in  slavery  — 
they  were  to  be  sent  that  a  monster  called  the  Minotaur  might 
devour  them. 

Youths  and  maidens  had  been  sent,  and  for  the  third  time 
the  messengers  of  King  Minos  were  coming  to  Athens.  The 
tribute  for  the  Minotaur  was  to  be  chosen  by  lot.     The  fathers 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  205 

and  mothers  were  in  fear  and  trembling,  for  each  man  and 
woman  thought  that  his  or  her  son  or  daughter  would  be  taken 
for  a  prey  for  the  Minotaur. 

They  came  together,  the  people  of  Athens,  and  they  drew  the 
lots  fearfully.  And  on  the  throne  abov*.  them  all  sat  their 
pale-faced  king,  ^Egeus,  the  father  of  Theseus. 

Before  the  first  lot  was  drawn  Theseus  turned  to  all  of  them 
and  said,  "  People  of  Athens,  it  is  not  right  that  your  children 
sb  mid  go  and  that  I,  who  am  the  son  of  King  ^Egeus,  should 
remain  behind.  Surely,  if  any  of  the  youths  of  Athens  should 
face  the  dread  monster  of  Crete,  I  should  face  it.  There  is  one 
lot  that  you  may  leave  undrawn.     I  will  go  to  Crete." 

His  father,  on  hearing  the  speech  of  Theseus,  came  down  from 
his  throne  and  pleaded  with  him,  begging  him  not  to  go.  But 
the  will  of  Theseus  was  set;  he  would  go  with  the  others  and 
face  the  Minotaur.  And  he  reminded  his  father  of  how  the 
people  had  complained,  saying  that  if  ^Egeus  had  done  the 
duty  of  a  king,  Minos' s  son  would  not  have  been  slain  and  the 
tribute  to  the  Minotaur  would  have  not  been  demanded.  It 
was  the  passing  about  of  such  complaints  that  had  led  to  the 
war  and  troubles  that  Theseus  found  on  his  coming  to  Athens. 

Also  Theseus  told  his  father  and  told  the  people  that  he  had 
hope  in  his  hands  —  that  the  hands  that  were  strong  enough 
to  slay  Sinnias  and  Procrustes,  the  giant  robbers,  would  be  strong 
enough  to  slay  the  dread  monster  of  Crete.  His  father  at  last 
consented  to  his  going.    And  Theseus  was  able  to  make  the 


2o6  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

people  willing  to  believe  that  he  would  be  able  to  overcome 
the  Minotaur,  and  so  put  an  end  to  the  terrible  tribute  that 
was  being  exacted  from  them. 

With  six  other  youths  and  seven  maidens  Theseus  went  on 
board  of  the  ship  that  every  year  brought  to  Crete  the  grievous 
tribute.  This  ship  always  sailed  with  black  sails.  But  before 
it  sailed  this  time  King  ^Egeus  gave  to  Nausitheus,  the  master 
of  the  ship,  a  white  sail  to  take  with  him.  And  he  begged 
Theseus,  that  in  case  he  should  be  able  to  overcome  the  mon- 
ster, to  hoist  the  white  sail  he  had  given.  Theseus  promised 
he  would  do  this.  His  father  would  watch  for  the  return  of 
the  ship,  and  if  the  sail  were  black  he  would  know  that  the  Mino- 
taur had  dealt  with  his  son  as  it  had  dealt  with  the  other  youths 
who  had  gone  from  Athens.  And  if  the  sail  were  white  ^Egeus 
would  have  indeed  cause  to  rejoice. 

Ill 

And  now  the  black-sailed  ship  had  come  to  Crete,  and  the 
youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  looked  from  its  deck  on  Knossos, 
the  marvelous  city  that  Daedalus  the  builder  had  built  for 
King  Minos.  And  they  saw  the  palace  of  the  king,  the  red  and 
black  palace  in  which  was  the  labyrinth,  made  also  by  Daedalus, 
where  the  dread  Minotaur  was  hidden. 

In  fear  they  looked  upon  the  city  and  the  palace.  But  not 
in  fear  did  Theseus  look,  but  in  wonder  at  the  magnificence  of 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  207 

it  all  —  the  harbor  with  its  great  steps  leading  up  into  the  city, 
the  far-spreading  palace  all  red  and  black,  and  the  crowds  of 
ships  with  their  white  and  red  sails.  They  were  brought  through 
the  city  of  Knossos  to  the  palace  of  the  king.  And  there 
Theseus  looked  upon  Minos.  In  a  great  red  chamber  on  which 
was  painted  the  sign  of  the  axe,  King  Minos  sat. 

On  a  low  throne  he  sat,  holding  in  his  hand  a  scepter  on  which 
a  bird  was  perched.  Not  in  fear,  but  steadily,  did  Theseus  look 
upon  the  king.  And  he  saw  that  Minos  had  the  face  of  one 
who  has  thought  long  upon  troublesome  things,  and  that  his 
eyes  were  strangely  dark  and  deep.  The  king  noted  that  the 
eyes  of  Theseus  were  upon  him,  and  he  made  a  sign  with  his 
head  to  an  attendant  and  the  attendant  laid  his  hand  upon 
him  and  brought  Theseus  to  stand  beside  the  king.  Minos 
questioned  him  as  to  who  he  was  and  what  lands  he  had  been 
in,  and  when  he  learned  that  Theseus  was  the  son  of  ^Egeus, 
the  King  of  Athens,  he  said  the  name  of  his  son  who  had  been 
slain,  "Androgeus,  Androgeus,"  over  and  over  again,  and  then 
spoke  no  more. 

While  he  stood  there  beside  the  king  there  came  into  the 
chamber  three  maidens;  one  of  them,  Theseus  knew,  was  the 
daughter  of  Minos.  Not  like  the  maidens  of  Greece  were  the 
princess  and  her  two  attendants:  instead  of  having  on  flowing 
garments  and  sandals  and  wearing  their  hair  bound,  they  had 
on  dresses  of  gleaming  material  that  were  tight  at  the  waists 
and  bell-shaped;  the  hair  that  streamed  on  their  shoulders  was 


208  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

made  wavy;  they  had  on  high  shoes  of  a  substance  that  shone 
like  glass.  Never  had  Theseus  looked  upon  maidens  who  were 
so  strange. 

They  spoke  to  the  king  in  the  strange  Cretan  language; 
then  Minos's  daughter  made  reverence  to  her  father,  and  they 
went  from  the  chamber.  Theseus  watched  them  as  they  went 
through  a  long  passage,  walking  slowly  on  their  high-heeled 
shoes. 

Through  the  same  passage  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens 
were  afterward  brought.  They  came  into  a  great  hall.  The 
walls  were  red  and  on  them  were  paintings  in  black  —  pictures 
of  great  bulls  with  girls  and  slender  youths  struggling  with 
them.  It  was  a  place  for  games  and  shows,  and  Theseus  stood 
with  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  and  with  the  people 
of  the  palace  and  watched  what  was  happening. 

They  saw  women  charming  snakes;  then  they  saw  a  boxing 
match,  and  afterward  they  all  looked  on  a  bout  of  wrestling. 
Theseus  looked  past  the  wrestlers  and  he  saw,  at  the  other  end 
of  the  hall,  the  daughter  of  King  Minos  and  her  two  attendant 
maidens. 

One  broad-shouldered  and  bearded  man  overthrew  all  the 
wrestlers  who  came  to  grips  with  him.  He  stood  there  boast- 
fully, and  Theseus  was  made  angry  by  the  man's  arrogance. 
Then,  when  no  other  wrestler  would  come  against  him,  he 
turned  to  leave  the  arena. 

But  Theseus  stood  in  his  way  and  pushed  him  back.     The 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  209 

boastful  man  laid  hands  upon  him  and  pulled  him  into  the 
arena.  He  strove  to  throw  Theseus  as  he  had  thrown  the  others; 
but  he  soon  found  that  the  youth  from  Greece  was  a  wrestler, 
too,  and  that  he  would  have  to  strive  hard  to  overthrow  him. 

More  eagerly  than  they  had  watched  anything  else  the  people 
of  the  palace  and  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  watched 
the  bout  between  Theseus  and  the  lordly  wrestler.  Those  from 
Athens  who  looked  upon  him  now  thought  that  they  had  never 
seen  Theseus  look  so  tall  and  so  conquering  before;  beside  the 
slender,  dark-haired  people  of  Crete  he  looked  like  a  statue  of 
one  of  the  gods. 

Very  adroit  was  the  Cretan  wrestler,  and  Theseus  had  to  use 
all  his  strength  to  keep  upon  his  feet;  but  soon  he  mastered 
the  tricks  that  the  wrestler  was  using  against  him.  Then  the 
Cretan  left  aside  his  tricks  and  began  to  use  all  his  strength 
to  throw  Theseus. 

Steadily  Theseus  stood  and  the  Cretan  wrestler  was  spent 
and  gasping  in  the  effort  to  throw  him.  Then  Theseus  made 
him  feel  his  grip.  He  bent  him  backward,  and  then,  using  all 
his  strength  suddenly,  forced  him  to  the  ground.  All  were 
filled  with  wonder  at  the  strength  and  power  of  this  youth  from 
overseas. 

Food  and  wine  were  given  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens, 
and  they  with  Theseus  were  let  wander  through  the  grounds 
of  the  palace.  But  they  could  make  no  escape,  for  guards  fol- 
lowed them  and  the  way  to  the  ships  was  filled  with  strangers 


2io  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

who  would  not  let  them  pass.  They  talked  to  each  other  about 
the  Minotaur,  and  there  was  fear  in  every  word  they  said.  But 
Theseus  went  from  one  to  the  other,  telling  them  that  perhaps 
there  was  a  way  by  which  he  could  come  to  the  monster  and 
destroy  it.  And  the  youths  and  maidens,  remembering  how  he 
had  overthrown  the  lordly  wrestler,  were  comforted  a  little, 
thinking  that  Theseus  might  indeed  be  able  to  destroy  the 
Minotaur  and  so  save  all  of  them. 


IV 

Theseus  was  awakened  by  some  one  touching  him.  He  arose 
and  he  saw  a  dark-faced  servant,  who  beckoned  to  him.  He 
left  the  little  chamber  where  he  had  been  sleeping,  and  then 
he  saw  outside  one  who  wore  the  strange  dress  of  the  Cretans. 

When  Theseus  looked  full  upon  her  he  saw  that  she  was 
none  other  than  the  daughter  of  King  Minos.  "I  am  Ariadne," 
she  said,  "and,  0  youth  from  Greece,  I  have  come  to  save  you 
from  the  dread  Minotaur." 

He  looked  upon  Ariadne's  strange  face  with  its  long,  dark 
eyes,  and  he  wondered  how  this  girl  could  think  that  she  could 
save  him  and  save  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  from  the 
Minotaur.  Her  hand  rested  upon  his  arm,  and  she  led  him 
into  the  chamber  where  Minos  had  sat.  It  was  lighted  now 
by  many  little  lamps. 

"I  will  show  the  way  of  escape  to  you,"  said  Ariadne, 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  211 

Then  Theseus  looked  around,  and  he  saw  that  none  of  the 
other  youths  and  maidens  were  near  them,  and  he  looked  on 
Ariadne  again,  and  he  saw  that  the  strange  princess  had  been 
won  to  help  him,  and  to  help  him  only. 

"Who  will  show  the  way  of  escape  to  the  others?"  asked 
Theseus. 

"Ah,"  said  the  Princess  Ariadne,  "for  the  others  there  is  no 
way  of  escape."  4 

"Then,"  said  Theseus,  "I  will  not  leave  the  youths  and 
maidens  of  Athens  who  came  with  me  to  Crete  to  be  devoured 
by  the  Minotaur." 

"Ah,  Theseus,"  said  Ariadne,  "they  cannot  escape  the  Mino- 
taur. One  only  may  escape,  and  I  want  you  to  be  that  one. 
I  saw  you  when  you  wrestled  with  Deucalion,  our  great  wrestler, 
and  since  then  I  have  longed  to  save  you." 

"I  have  come  to  slay  the  Minotaur,"  said  Theseus,  "and  I 
cannot  hold  my  life  as  my  own  until  I  have  slain  it." 

Said  Ariadne,  "If  you  could  see  the  Minotaur,  Theseus,  and 
if  you  could  measure  its  power,  you  would  know  that  you  are 
not  the  one  to  slay  it.  I  think  that  only  Talos,  that  giant  who 
was  all  of  bronze,  could  have  slain  the  Minotaur." 

"Princess,"  said  Theseus,  "can  you  help  me  to  come  to  the 
Minotaur  and  look  upon  it  so  that  I  can  know  for  certainty 
whether  this  hand  of  mine  can  slay  the  monster?" 

"I  can  help  you  to  come  to  the  Minotaur  and  look  upon  it," 
said  Ariadne. 


212  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

"Then  help  me,  princess/'  cried  Theseus;  "help  me  to  come 
to  the  Minotaur  and  look  upon  it,  and  help  me,  too,  to  get 
back  the  sword  that  I  brought  with  me  to  Crete." 

"Your  sword  will  not  avail  you  against  the  Minotaur,"  said 
Ariadne;  "when  you  look  upon  the  monster  you  will  know  that 
it  is  not  for  your  hand  to  slay." 

"Oh,  but  bring  me  my  sword,  princess,"  cried  Theseus,  and 
his  hands  went  out  to  her  in  supplication. 

"I  will  bring  you  your  sword,"  said  she. 

She  took  up  a  little  lamp  and  went  through  a  doorway,  leav- 
ing Theseus  standing  by  the  low  throne  in  the  chamber  of 
Minos.  Then  after  a  little  while  she  came  back,  bringing  with 
her  Theseus's  great  ivory-hilted  sword. 

"It  is  a  great  sword,"  she  said;  "I  marked  it  before  because 
it  is  your  sword,  Theseus.  But  even  this  great  sword  will  not 
avail  against  the  Minotaur." 

"Show  me  the  way  to  come  to  the  Minotaur,  0  Ariadne," 
cried  Theseus. 

He  knew  that  she  did  not  think  that  he  would  deem  himself 
able  to  strive  with  the  Minotaur,  and  that  when  he  looked 
upon  the  dread  monster  he  would  return  to  her  and  then  take 
the  way  of  his  escape. 

She  took  his  hand  and  led  him  from  the  chamber  of  Minos. 
She  was  not  tall,  but  she  stood  straight  and  walked  steadily, 
and  Theseus  saw  in  her  something  of  the  strange  majesty  that 
he  had  seen  in  Minos  the  king. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  213 

They  came  to  high  bronze  gates  that  opened  into  a  vault. 
"Here,"  said  Ariadne,  "the  labyrinth  begins.  Very  devious 
is  the  labyrinth,  built  by  Daedalus,  in  which  the  Minotaur  is 
hidden,  and  without  the  clue  none  could  find  a  way  through 
the  passages.  But  I  will  give  you  the  clue  so  that  you  may 
look  upon  the  Minotaur  and  then  come  back  to  me.  Theseus, 
now  I  put  into  your  hand  the  thread  that  will  guide  you  through 
all  the  windings  of  the  labyrinth.  And  outside  the  place  where 
the  Minotaur  is  you  will  find  another  thread  to  guide  you  back." 

A  cone  was  on  the  ground  and  it  had  a  thread  fastened  to  it. 
Ariadne  gave  Theseus  the  thread  and  the  cone  to  wind  it  around. 
The  thread  as  he  held  it  and  wound  it  around  the  cone  would 
bring  him  through  all  the  windings  and  turnings  of  the  labyrinth. 

She  left  him,  and  Theseus  went  on.  Winding  the  thread 
around  the  cone  he  went  along  a  wide  passage  in  the  vault. 
He  turned  and  came  into  a  passage  that  was  very  long.  He 
came  to  a  place  in  this  passage  where  a  door  seemed  to  be, 
but  within  the  frame  of  the  doorway  there  was  only  a  blank 
wall.  But  below  that  doorway  there  was  a  flight  of  six  steps, 
and  down  these  steps  the  thread  led  him.  On  he  went,  and 
he  crossed  the  marks  that  he  himself  had  made  in  the  dust, 
and  he  thought  he  must  have  come  back  to  the  place  where  he 
had  parted  from  Ariadne.  He  went  on,  and  he  saw  before  him 
a  flight  of  steps.  The  thread  did  not  lead  up  the  steps;  it  led 
into  the  most  winding  of  passages.  So  sudden  were  the  turn- 
ings in  it  that  one  could  not  see  three  steps  before  one.    He  was 


214  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

dazed  by  the  turnings  of  this  passage,  but  still  he  went  on.  He 
went  up  winding  steps  and  then  along  a  narrow  wall.  The 
wall  overhung  a  broad  flight  of  steps,  and  Theseus  had  to  jump 
to  them.  Down  the  steps  he  went  and  into  a  wide,  empty 
hall  that  had  doorways  to  the  right  hand  and  to  the  left  hand. 
Here  the  thread  had  its  end.  It  was  fastened  to  a  cone  that 
lay  on  the  ground,  and  beside  this  cone  was  another  —  the  clue 
that  was  to  bring  him  back. 

Now  Theseus,  knowing  he  was  in  the  very  center  of  the 
labyrinth,  looked  all  around  for  sight  of  the  Minotaur.  There 
was  no  sight  of  the  monster  here.  He  went  to  all  the  doors  and 
pushed  at  them,  and  some  opened  and  some  remained  fast. 
The  middle  door  opened.  As  it  did  Theseus  felt  around  him 
a  chilling  draft  of  air. 

That  chilling  draft  was  from  the  breathing  of  the  monster. 
Theseus  then  saw  the  Minotaur.  It  lay  on  the  ground,  a 
strange,  bull-faced  thing. 

When  the  thought  came  to  Theseus  that  he  would  have  to 
fight  that  monster  alone  and  in  that  hidden  and  empty  place 
all  delight  left  him;  he  grew  like  a  stone;  he  groaned,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  he  heard  the  voice  of  Ariadne  calling  him 
back.  He  could  find  his  way  back  through  the  labyrinth  and 
come  to  her.  He  stepped  back,  and  the  door  closed  on  the 
Minotaur,  the  dread  monster  of  Crete. 

In  an  instant  Theseus  pushed  the  door  again.  He  stood 
within  the  hall  where  the  Minotaur  was,  and  the  heavy  door 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  215 

shut  behind  him.  He  looked  again  on  that  dark,  bull-faced 
thing.  It  reared  up  as  a  horse  rears  and  Theseus  saw  that  it 
would  crash  down  on  him  and  tear  him  with  its  dragon  claws. 
With  a  great  bound  he  went  far  away  from  where  the  monster 
crashed  down.  Then  Theseus  faced  it:  he  saw  its  thick  lips 
and  its  slobbering  mouth;  he  saw  that  its  skin  was  thick  and 
hard. 

He  drew  near  the  monster,  his  sword  in  his  hand.  He  struck 
at  its  eyes,  and  his  sword  made  a  great  dint.  But  no  blood 
came,  for  the  Minotaur  was  a  bloodless  monster.  From  its  mouth 
and  nostrils  came  a  draft  that  covered  him  with  a  chilling  slime. 

Then  it  rushed  upon  him  and  overthrew  him,  and  Theseus 
felt  its  terrible  weight  upon  him.  But  he  thrust  his  sword 
upward,  and  it  reared  up  again,  screaming  with  pain.  Theseus 
drew  himself  away,  and  then  he  saw  it  searching  around  and 
around,  and  he  knew  he  had  made  it  sightless.  Then  it  faced 
him;  all  the  more  fearful  it  was  because  from  its  wounds  no 
blood  came. 

Anger  flowed  into  Theseus  when  he  saw  the  monster  standing 
frightfully  before  him;  he  thought  of  all  the  youths  and  maidens 
that  this  bloodless  thing  had  destroyed,  and  all  the  youths  and 
maidens  that  it  would  destroy  if  he  did  not  slay  it  now.  An- 
grily he  rushed  upon  it  with  his  great  sword.  It  clawed  and 
tore  him,  and  it  opened  wide  its  most  evil  mouth  as  if  to  draw 
him  into  it.  But  again  he  sprang  at  it;  he  thrust  his  great  sword 
through  its  neck,  and  he  left  his  sword  there. 


2i6  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

With  the  last  of  his  strength  he  pulled  open  the  heavy  door 
and  he  went  out  from  the  hall  where  the  Minotaur  was.  He 
picked  up  the  thread  and  he  began  to  wind  it  as  he  had  wound 
the  other  thread  on  his  way  down.  On  he  went,  through  pas- 
sage after  passage,  through  chamber  after  chamber.  His  mind 
was  dizzy,  and  he  had  little  thought  for  the  way  he  was  going. 
His  wounds  and  the  chill  that  the  monster  had  breathed  into 
him  and  his  horror  of  the  fearful  and  bloodless  thing  made  his 
mind  almost  forsake  him.  He  kept  the  thread  in  his  hand  and 
he  wound  it  as  he  went  on  through  the  labyrinth.  He  stum- 
bled and  the  thread  broke.  He  went  on  for  a  few  steps  and 
then  he  went  back  to  find  the  thread  that  had  fallen  out  of  his 
hands.  In  an  instant  he  was  in  a  part  of  the  labyrinth  that 
he  had  not  been  in  before. 

He  walked  a  long  way,  and  then  he  came  on  his  own  foot- 
marks as  they  crossed  themselves  in  the  dust.  He  pushed  open 
a  door  and  came  into  the  air.  He  was  now  by  the  outside  wall 
of  the  palace,  and  he  saw  birds  flying  by  him.  He  leant  against 
the  wall  of  the  palace,  thinking  that  he  would  strive  no  more 
to  find  his  way  through  the  labyrinth. 

V 

That  day  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  were  brought 
through  the  labyrinth  and  to  the  hall  where  the  Minotaur  was. 
They  went  through  the  passages  weeping  and  lamenting.  Some 
cried  out  for  Theseus,  and  some  said  that  Theseus  had  deserted 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE   QUEST  217 

them.  The  heavy  door  was  opened.  Then  those  who  were 
with  the  youths  and  maidens  saw  the  Minotaur  lying  stark  and 
stiff  with  Theseus's  sword  through  its  neck.  They  shouted  and 
blew  trumpets  and  the  noise  of  their  trumpets  filled  the  laby- 
rinth. Then  they  turned  back,  bringing  the  youths  and  maidens 
with  them,  and  a  whisper  went  through  the  whole  palace  that 
the  Minotaur  had  been  slain.  The  youths  and  maidens  were 
lodged  in  the  chamber  where  Minos  gave  his  judgments. 

VI 

Theseus,  wearied  and  overcome,  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  by  the 
wall  of  the  palace.  He  awakened  with  a  feeling  that  the  claw 
of  the  Minotaur  was  upon  him.  There  were  stars  in  the  sky 
above  the  high  palace  wall,  and  he  saw  a  dark-robed  and  an- 
cient man  standing  beside  him.  Theseus  knew  that  this  was 
Daedalus,  the  builder  of  the  palace  and  the  labyrinth.  Daedalus 
called  and  a  slim  youth  came  —  Icarus,  the  son  of  Daedalus. 
Minos  had  set  father  and  son  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  palace, 
and  Theseus  had  come  near  the  place  where  they  were  con- 
fined. Icarus  came  and  brought  him  to  a  winding  stairway  and 
showed  him  a  way  to  go. 

A  dark-faced  servant  met  and  looked  him  full  in  the  face. 
Then,  as  if  he  knew  that  Theseus  was  the  one  whom  he  had 
been  searching  for,  he  led  him  into  a  little  chamber  where  there 
were  three  maidens.  One  started  up  and  came  to  him  quickly, 
and  Theseus  again  saw  Ariadne. 


218  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

She  hid  him  in  the  chamber  of  the  palace  where  her  singing 
birds  were,  and  she  would  come  and  sit  beside  him,  asking  about 
his  own  country  and  telling  him  that  she  would  go  with  him 
there.  "I  showed  you  how  you  might  come  to  the  Minotaur," 
she  said,  "and  you  went  there  and  you  slew  the  monster,  and 
now  I  may  not  stay  in  my  father's  palace." 

And  Theseus  thought  all  the  time  of  his  return,  and  of  how 
he  might  bring  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  back  to  their 
own  people.  For  Ariadne,  that  strange  princess,  was  not  dear 
to  him  as  Medea  was  dear  to  Jason,  or  Atalanta  the  Huntress  to 
young  Meleagrus. 

One  sunset  she  led  him  to  a  roof  of  the  palace  and  she  showed 
him  the  harbor  with  the  ships,  and  she  showed  him  the  ship 
with  the  black  sail  that  had  brought  him  to  Knossos.  She  told 
him  she  would  take  him  aboard  that  ship,  and  that  the  youths 
and  maidens  of  Athens  could  go  with  them.  She  would  bring 
to  the  master  of  the  ship  the  seal  of  King  Minos,  and  the  master, 
seeing  it,  would  set  sail  for  whatever  place  Theseus  desired  to  go. 

Then  did  she  become  dear  to  Theseus  because  of  her  great 
kindness,  and  he  kissed  her  eyes  and  swore  that  he  would 
not  go  from  the  palace  unless  she  would  come  with  him  to  his 
own  country.  The  strange  princess  smiled  and  wept  as  if  she 
doubted  what  he  said.  Nevertheless,  she  led  him  from  the  roof 
and  down  into  one  of  the  palace  gardens.  He  waited  there, 
and  the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens  were  led  into  the  garden, 
all  wearing  cloaks  that  hid  their  forms  and  faces.    Young  Icarus 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  219 

led  them  from  the  grounds  of  the  palace  and  down  to  the  ships. 
And  Ariadne  went  with  them,  bringing  with  her  the  seal  of  her 
father,  King  Minos. 

And  when  they  came  on  board  of  the  black-sailed  ship  they 
showed  the  seal  to  the  master,  Nausitheus,  and  the  master  of 
the  ship  let  the  sail  take  the  breeze  of  the  evening,  and  so 
Theseus  went  away  from  Crete. 

vn 

To  the  Island  of  Naxos  they  sailed.  And  when  they  reached 
that  place  the  master  of  the  ship,  thinking  that  what  had  been 
done  was  not  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  King  Minos,  stayed 
the  ship  there.  He  waited  until  other  ships  came  from  Knossos. 
And  when  they  came  they  brought  word  that  Minos  would 
not  slay  nor  demand  back  Theseus  nor  the  youths  and  maidens 
of  Athens.  His  daughter,  Ariadne,  he  would  have  back,  to 
reign  with  him  over  Crete. 

Then  Ariadne  left  the  black-sailed  ship,  and  went  back  to 
Crete  from  Naxos.  Theseus  let  the  princess  go,  although  he 
might  have  struggled  to  hold  her.  But  more  strange  than  dear 
did  Ariadne  remain  to  Theseus. 

And  all  this  time  his  father,  ^Egeus,  stayed  on  the  tower  of 
his  palace,  watching  for  the  return  of  the  ship  that  had  sailed 
for  Knossos.  The  life  of  the  king  wasted  since  the  departure 
of  Theseus,  and  now  it  was  but  a  thread.  Every  day  he  watched 
for  the  return  of  the  ship,  hoping  against  hope  that  Theseus 


220  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

would  return  alive  to  him.  Then  a  ship  came  into  the  harbor. 
It  had  black  sails,  ^geus  did  not  know  that  Theseus  was 
aboard  of  it,  and  that  Theseus  in  the  hurry  of  his  flight  and 
in  the  sadness  of  his  parting  from  Ariadne  had  not  thought  of 
taking  out  the  white  s^il  that  his  father  had  given  to  Nausitheus. 

Joyously  Theseus  sailed  into  the  harbor,  having  slain  the 
Minotaur  and  lifted  for  ever  the  tribute  put  upon  Athens. 
Joyously  he  sailed  into  the  harbor,  bringing  back  to  their  parents 
the  youths  and  maidens  of  Athens.  But  the  king,  his  father, 
saw  the  black  sails  on  his  ship,  and  straightway  the  thread  of 
his  life  broke,  and  he  died  on  the  roof  of  the  tower  which  he 
had  built  to  look  out  on  the  sea. 

Theseus  landed  on  the  shore  of  his  own  country.  He  had 
the  ship  drawn  up  on  the  beach  and  he  made  sacrifices  of  thanks- 
giving to  the  gods.  Then  he  sent  messengers  to  the  city  to  an- 
nounce his  return.  They  went  toward  the  city,  these  joyful 
messengers,  but  when  they  came  to  the  gate  they  heard  the 
sounds  of  mourning  and  lamentation.  The  mourning  and  the 
lamentation  were  for  the  death  of  the  king,  Theseus' s  father. 
They  hurried  back  and  they  came  to  Theseus  where  he  stood 
on  the  beach.  They  brought  a  wreath  of  victory  for  him,  but 
as  they  put  it  into  his  hand  they  told  him  of  the  death  of  his 
father.  Then  Theseus  left  the  wreath  on  the  ground,  and  he 
wept  for  the  death  of  ^Egeus  —  of  iEgeus,  the  hero,  who  had 
left  the  sword  under  the  stone  for  him  before  he  was  born. 

The  men  and  women  who  came  to  the  beach  wep   -;jid  laughed 


L 

1 

i 

/ 

THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  221 

as  they  clasped  in  their  arms  the  children  brought  back  to  them. 
And  Theseus  stood  there,  silent  and  bowed;  the  memory  of  his 
last  moments  with  his  father,  of  his  fight  with  the  Minotaur, 
of  his  parting  with  Ariadne  —  all  flowed  back  upon  him.  He 
stood  there  with  head  bowed,  the  man  who  might  not  put  upon 
his  brows  the  wreath  of  victory  that  had  been  brought  to  him. 

VIII 

There  had  come  into  the  city  a  youth  of  great  valor  whose 
name  was  Peirithous:  from  a  far  country  he  had  come,  filled 
with  a  desire  of  meeting  Theseus,  whose  fame  had  come  to  him. 
The  youth  was  in  Athens  at  the  time  Theseus  returned.  He 
went  down  to  the  beach  with  the  townsfolk,  and  he  saw  Theseus 
standing  alone  with  his  head  bowed  down.  He  went  to  him  and 
he  spoke,  and  Theseus  lifted  his  head  and  he  saw  before  him 
a  young  man  of  strength  and  beauty.  He  looked  upon  him, 
and  the  thought  of  high  deeds  came  into  his  mind  again.  He 
wanted  this  young  man  to  be  his  comrade  in  dangers  and  upon 
quests.  And  Peirithous  looked  upon  Theseus,  and  he  felt  that 
he  was  greater  and  nobler  than  he  had  thought.  They  became 
friends  and  sworn  brothers,  and  together  they  went  into  far 
countries. 

Now  there  was  in  Epirus  a  savage  king  who  had  a  very  fair 
daughter.  He  had  named  this  daughter  Persephone,  naming  her 
thus  to  show  that  she  was  held  as  fast  by  him  as  that  other  Per- 
sephone was  held  who  ruled  in  the  Underworld.    No  man  might 


222  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

see  her,  and  no  man  might  wed  her.  But  Peirithous  had  seen  the 
daughter  of  this  king,  and  he  desired  above  all  things  to  take 
her  from  her  father  and  make  her  his  wife.  He  begged  Theseus 
to  help  him  enter  that  king's  palace  and  carry  off  the  maiden. 

So  they  came  to  Epirus,  Theseus  and  Peirithous,  and  they 
entered  the  king's  palace,  and  they  heard  the  bay  of  the  dread 
hound  that  was  there  to  let  no  one  out  who  had  once  come 
within  the  walls.  Suddenly  the  guards  of  the  savage  king  came 
upon  them,  and  they  took  Theseus  and  Peirithous  and  they 
dragged  them  down  into  dark  dungeons. 

Two  great  chairs  of  stone  were  there,  and  Theseus  and  Pei- 
rithous were  left  seated  in  them.  And  the  magic  powers  that 
were  in  the  chairs  of  stone  were  such  that  the  heroes  could  not 
lift  themselves  out  of  them.  There  they  stayed,  held  in  the 
great  stone  chairs  in  the  dungeons  of  that  savage  king. 

Then  it  so  happened  that  Heracles  came  into  the  palace  of 
the  king.  The  harsh  king  feasted  Heracles  and  abated  his 
savagery  before  him.  But  he  could  not  forbear  boasting  of  how 
he  had  trapped  the  heroes  who  had  come  to  carry  off  Persephone. 
And  he  told  how  they  could  not  get  out  of  the  stone  chairs  and 
how  they  were  held  captive  in  his  dark  dungeon.  Heracles  lis- 
tened, his  heart  full  of  pity  for  the  heroes  from  Greece  who 
had  met  with  such  a  harsh  fate.  And  when  the  king  mentioned 
that  one  of  the  heroes  was  Theseus,  Heracles  would  feast  no 
more  with  him  until  he  had  promised  that  the  one  who  had 
been  his  comrade  on  the  Argo  would  be  let  go. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  223 

The  king  said  he  would  give  Theseus  his  liberty  if  Heracles 
would  carry  the  stone  chair  on  which  he  was  seated  out  of  the 
dungeon  and  into  the  outer  world.  Then  Heracles  went  down 
into  the  dungeon.  He  found  the  two  heroes  in  the  great  chairs, 
of  stone.  But  one  of  them,  Peirithous,  no  longer  breathed. 
Heracles  took  the  great  chair  of  stone  that  Theseus  was  seated 
in,  and  he  carried  it  up,  up,  from  the  dungeon  and  out  into  the 
world.  It  was  a  heavy  task  even  for  Heracles.  He  broke  the 
chair  in  pieces,  and  Theseus  stood  up,  released. 

Thereafter  the  world  was  before  Theseus.  He  went  with  Her- 
acles, and  in  the  deeds  that  Heracles  was  afterward  to  accom- 
plish Theseus  shared. 

IV.  THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS  OF  HERACLES 


ERACLES  was  the  son  of  Zeus,  but  he 
was  born  into  the  family  of  a  mortal  king. 
When  he  was  still  a  youth,  being  over- 
whelmed by  a  madness  sent  upon  him  by 
one  of  the  goddesses,  he  slew  the  children 
of  his  brother  Iphicles.  Then,  coming  to 
know  what  he  had  done,  sleep  and  rest 

went  from  him:  he  went  to  Delphi,  to  the  shrine  of  Apollo,  to 

be  purified  of  his  crime. 
At  Delphi,  at  the  shrine  of  Apollo,  the  priestess  purified  him, 


224  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

and  when  she  had  purified  him  she  uttered  this  prophecy :  "  From 
this  day  forth  thy  name  shall  be,  not  Alcides,  but  Heracles. 
Thou  shalt  go  to  Eurystheus,  thy  cousin,  in  Mycenae,  and 
serve  him  in  all  things.  When  the  labors  he  shall  lay  upon 
thee  are  accomplished,  and  when  the  rest  of  thy  life  is  lived 
out,  thou  shalt  become  one  of  the  immortals."  Heracles,  on 
hearing  these  words,  set  out  for  Mycenae. 

He  stood  before  his  cousin  who  hated  him;  he,  a  towering 
man,  stood  before  a  king  who  sat  there  weak  and  trembling. 
And  Heracles  said,  "I  have  come  to  take  up  the  labors  that 
you  will  lay  upon  me;  speak  now,  Eurystheus,  and  tell  me  what 
you  would  have  me  do." 

Eurystheus,  that  weak  king,  looking  on  the  young  man  who 
stood  as  tall  and  as  firm  as  one  of  the  immortals,  had  a  heart 
that  was  filled  with  hatred.  He  lifted  up  his  head  and  he  said 
with  a  frown: 

"There  is  a  Hon  in  Nemea  that  is  stronger  and  more  fierce 
than  any  lion  known  before.  Kill  that  lion,  and  bring  the  lion's 
skin  to  me  that  I  may  know  that  you  have  truly  performed 
your  task."  So  Eurystheus  said,  and  Heracles,  with  neither 
shield  nor  arms,  went  forth  from  the  king's  palace  to  seek  and 
to  combat  the  dread  lion  of  Nemea. 

He  went  on  until  he  came  into  a  country  where  the  fences 
were  overthrown  and  the  fields  wasted  and  the  houses  empty 
and  fallen.  He  went  on  until  he  came  to  the  waste  around  that 
land:  there  he  came  on  the  trail  of  the  lion;  it  led  up  the  side 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  225 

of  a  mountain,  and  Heracles,  without  shield  or  arms,  followed 
the  trail. 

He  heard  the  roar  of  the  lion.  Looking  up  he  saw  the  beast 
standing  at  the  mouth  of  a  cavern,  huge  and  dark  against  the 
sunset.  The  lion  roared  three  times,  and  then  it  went  within 
the  cavern. 

Around  the  mouth  were  strewn  the  bones  of  creatures  it  had 
killed  and  carried  there.  Heracles  looked  upon  them  when  he 
came  to  the  cavern.  He  went  within.  Far  into  the  cavern  he 
went,  and  then  he  came  to  where  he  saw  the  lion.    It  was  sleeping. 

Heracles  viewed  the  terrible  bulk  of  the  Hon,  and  then  he 
looked  upon  his  own  knotted  hands  and  arms.  He  remem- 
bered that  it  was  told  of  him  that,  while  still  a  child  of  eight 
months,  he  had  strangled  a  great  serpent  that  had  come  to 
his  cradle  to  devour  him.  He  had  grown  and  his  strength  had 
grown  too. 

So  he  stood,  measuring  his  strength  and  the  size  of  the  Hon. 
The  breath  from  its  mouth  and  nostrils  came  heavily  to  him 
as  the  beast  slept,  gorged  with  its  prey.  Then  the  lion  yawned. 
Heracles  sprang  on  it  and  put  his  great  hands  upon  its  throat. 
No  growl  came  out  of  its  mouth,  but  the  great  eyes  blazed 
while  the  terrible  paws  tore  at  Heracles.  Against  the  rock  Her- 
acles held  the  beast;  strongly  he  held  it,  choking  it  through 
the  skin  that  was  almost  impenetrable.  Terribly  the  Hon  strug- 
gled; but  the  strong  hands  of  the  hero  held  around  its  throat 
until  it  struggled  no  more. 


226  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Then  Heracles  stripped  off  that  impenetrable  skin  from  the 
lion's  body;  he  put  it  upon  himself  for  a  cloak.  Then,  as  he 
went  through  the  forest,  he  pulled  up  a  young  oak  tree  and 
trimmed  it  and  made  a  club  for  himself.  With  the  lion's  skin 
over  him  —  that  skin  that  no  spear  or  arrow  could  pierce  — 
and  carrying  the  club  in  his  hand  he  journeyed  on  until  he  came 
to  the  palace  of  King  Eurystheus. 

The  king,  seeing  coming  toward  him  a  towering  man  all 
covered  with  the  hide  of  a  monstrous  Hon,  ran  and  hid  himself 
in  a  great  jar.  He  lifted  the  lid  up  to  ask  the  servants  what 
was  the  meaning  of  this  terrible  appearance.  And  the  servants 
told  him  that  it  was  Heracles  come  back  with  the  skin  of 
the  lion  of  Nemea.  On  hearing  this  Eurystheus  hid  himself 
again. 

He  would  not  speak  with  Heracles  nor  have  him  come  near 
him,  so  fearful  was  he.  But  Heracles  was  content  to  be  left 
alone.     He  sat  down  in  the  palace  and  feasted  himself. 

The  servants  came  to  the  king;  Eurystheus  lifted  the  lid  of 
the  jar  and  they  told  him  how  Heracles  was  feasting  and  de- 
vouring all  the  goods  in  the  palace.  The  king  flew  into  a  rage, 
but  still  he  was  fearful  of  having  the  hero  before  him.  He  is- 
sued commands  through  his  heralds  ordering  Heracles  to  go 
forth  at  once  and  perform  the  second  of  his  tasks. 

It  was  to  slay  the  great  water  snake  that  made  its  lair  in  the 
swamps  of  Lerna.  Heracles  stayed  to  feast  another  day,  and 
then,  with  the  lion's  skin  across  his  shoulders  and  the  great 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  227 

club  in  his  hands,  he  started  off.     But  this  time  he  did  not  go 
alone;   the  boy  Iolaus  went  with  him. 

Heracles  and  Iolaus  went  on  until  they  came  to  the  vast 
swamp  of  Lerna.  Right  in  the  middle  of  the  swamp  was  the 
water  snake  that  was  called  the  Hydra.  Nine  heads  it  had, 
and  it  raised  them  up  out  of  the  water  as  the  hero  and  his  com- 
panion came  near.  They  could  not  cross  the  swamp  to  come 
to  the  monster,  for  man  or  beast  would  sink  and  be  lost  in  it. 

The  Hydra  remained  in  the  middle  of  the  swamp  belching 
mud  at  the  hero  and  his  companion.  Then  Heracles  took  up 
his  bow  and  he  shot  flaming  arrows  at  its  heads.  It  grew  into 
such  a  rage  that  it  came  through  the  swamp  to  attack  him. 
Heracles  swung  his  club.  As  the  Hydra  came  near  he  knocked 
head  after  head  off  its  body. 

But  for  every  head  knocked  off  two  grew  upon  the  Hydra. 
And  as  he  struggled  with  the  monster  a  huge  crab  came  out  of 
the  swamp,  and  gripping  Heracles  by  the  foot  tried  to  draw  him 
in.  Then  Heracles  cried  out.  The  boy  Iolaus  came;  he  killed 
the  crab  that  had  come  to  the  Hydra's  aid. 

Then  Heracles  laid  hands  upon  the  Hydra  and  drew  it  out 
of  the  swamp.  With  his  club  he  knocked  off  a  head  and  he 
had  Iolaus  put  fire  to  where  it  had  been,  so  that  two  heads 
might  not  grow  in  that  place.  The  life  of  the  Hydra  was  in 
its  middle  head;  that  head  he  had  not  been  able  to  knock  off 
with  his  club.     Now,  with  his  hands  he  tore  it  off,  and  he  placed 


228  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

this  head  under  a  great  stone  so  that  it  could  not  rise  into  life 
again.  The  Hydra's  life  was  now  destroyed.  Heracles  dipped 
his  arrows  into  the  gall  of  the  monster,  making  his  arrows 
deadly;  no  thing  that  was  struck  by  these  arrows  afterward 
could  keep  its  life. 

Again  he  came  to  Eurystheus's  palace,  and  Eurystheus,  seeing 
him,  ran  again  and  hid  himself  in  the  jar.  Heracles  ordered 
the  servants  to  tell  the  king  that  he  had  returned  and  that 
the  second  labor  was  accomplished. 

Eurystheus,  hearing  from  the  servants  that  Heracles  was 
mild  in  his  ways,  came  out  of  the  jar.  Insolently  he  spoke. 
"Twelve  labors  you  have  to  accomplish  for  me,"  said  he  to  Her- 
acles, "and  eleven  yet  remain  to  be  accomplished." 

"How?"  said  Heracles.  "Have  I  not  performed  two  of  the 
labors?  Have  I  not  slain  the  lion  of  Nemea  and  the  great 
water  snake  of  Lerna?" 

"In  the  killing  of  the  water  snake  you  were  helped  by  Iolaus," 
said  the  king,  snapping  out  his  words  and  looking  at  Heracles 
with  shifting  eyes.     "That  labor  cannot  be  allowed  you." 

Heracles  would  have  struck  him  to  the  ground.  But  then 
he  remembered  that  the  crime  that  he  had  committed  in  his 
madness  would  have  to  be  expiated  by  labors  performed  at  the 
order  of  this  man.  He  looked  full  upon  Eurystheus  and  he  said, 
"Tell  me  of  the  other  labors,  and  I  will  go  forth  from  Mycenae 
and  accomplish  them." 

Then  Eurystheus  bade  him  go  and  make  clean  the  stables  of 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  229 

King  Augeias.  Heracles  came  into  that  king's  country.  The 
smell  from  the  stables  was  felt  for  miles  around.  Countless 
herds  of  cattle  and  goats  had  been  in  the  stables  for  years,  and 
because  of  the  uncleanness  and  the  smell  that  came  from  it  the 
crops  were  withered  all  around.  Heracles  told  the  king  that  he 
would  clean  the  stables  if  he  were  given  one  tenth  of  the  cattle 
and  the  goats  for  a  reward. 

The  king  agreed  to  this  reward.  Then  Heracles  drove  the 
cattle  and  the  goats  out  of  the  stables;  he  broke  through  the 
foundations  and  he  made  channels  for  the  two  rivers  Alpheus 
and  Peneius.  The  waters  flowed  through  the  stables,  and  in 
a  day  all  the  uncleanness  was  washed  away.  Then  Heracles 
turned  the  rivers  back  into  their  own  courses. 

He  was  not  given  the  reward  he  had  bargained  for,  however. 

He  went  back  to  Mycenae  with  the  tale  of  how  he  had 
cleaned  the  stables.  "Ten  labors  remain  for  me  to  do  now," 
he  said. 

"Eleven,"  said  Eurystheus.  "How  can  I  allow  the  cleaning 
of  King  Augeias's  stables  to  you  when  you  bargained  for  a 
reward  for  doing  it?" 

Then  while  Heracles  stood  still,  holding  himself  back  from 
striking  him,  Eurystheus  ran  away  and  hid  himself  in  the  jar. 
Through  his  heralds  he  sent  word  to  Heracles,  telling  him  what 
the  other  labors  would  be. 

He  was  to  clear  the  marshes  of  Stymphalus  of  the  man- 
eating  birds  that  gathered  there;   he  was  to  capture  and  bring 


230  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

to  the  king  the  golden-horned  deer  of  Coryneia;  he  was  also 
to  capture  and  bring  alive  to  Mycenae  the  boar  of  Erymanthus. 

Heracles  came  to  the  marshes  of  Stymphalus.  The  growth 
of  jungle  was  so  dense  that  he  could  not  cut  his  way  through 
to  where  the  man-eating  birds  were;  they  sat  upon  low  bushes 
within  the  jungle,  gorging  themselves  upon  the  flesh  they  had 
carried  there. 

For  days  Heracles  tried  to  hack  Ins  way  through.  He  could 
not  get  to  where  the  birds  were.  Then,  thinking  he  might  not  be 
able  to  accomplish  this  labor,  he  sat  upon  the  ground  in  despair. 

It  was  then  that  one  of  the  immortals  appeared  to  him;  for 
the  first  and  only  time  he  was  given  help  from  the  gods. 

It  was  Athena  who  came  to  him.  She  stood  apart  from 
Heracles,  holding  in  her  hands  brazen  cymbals.  These  she 
clashed  together.  At  the  sound  of  this  clashing  the  Stymphalean 
birds  rose  up  from  the  low  bushes  behind  the  jungle.  Heracles 
shot  at  them  with  those  unerring  arrows  of  his.  The  man- 
eating  birds  fell,  one  after  the  other,  into  the  marsh. 

Then  Heracles  went  north  to  where  the  Coryneian  deer  took 
her  pasture.  So  swift  of  foot  was  she  that  no  hound  nor  hunter 
had  ever  been  able  to  overtake  her.  For  the  whole  of  a  year 
Heracles  kept  Golden  Horns  in  chase,  and  at  last,  on  the  side 
of  the  Mountain  Artemision,  he  caught  her.  Artemis,  the  god- 
dess of  the  wild  things,  would  have  punished  Heracles  for  cap- 
turing the  deer,  but  the  hero  pleaded  with  her,  and  she  relented 
and  agreed  to  let  him  bring  the  deer  to  Mycenae  and  show  her 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  231 

to  King  Eurystheus.  And  Artemis  took  charge  of  Golden  Horns 
while  Heracles  went  off  to  capture  the  Erymanthean  boar. 

He  came  to  the  city  of  Psophis,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
were  in  deadly  fear  because  of  the  ravages  of  the  boar.  Her- 
acles made  his  way  up  the  mountain  to  hunt  it.  Now  on  this 
mountain  a  band  of  centaurs  lived,  and  they,  knowing  him 
since  the  time  he  had  been  fostered  by  Chiron,  welcomed  Her- 
acles. One  of  them,  Pholus,  took  Heracles  to  the  great  house 
where  the  centaurs  had  their  wine  stored. 

Seldom  did  the  centaurs  drink  wine;  a  draft  of  it  made  them 
wild,  and  so  they  stored  it  away,  leaving  it  in  the  charge  of  one 
of  their  band.  Heracles  begged  Pholus  to  give  him  a  draft  of 
wine;  after  he  had  begged  again  and  again  the  centaur  opened 
one  of  his  great  jars. 

Heracles  drank  wine  and  spilled  it.  Then  the  centaurs  that 
were  without  smelt  the  wine  and  came  hammering  at  the  door, 
demanding  the  drafts  that  would  make  them  wild.  Heracles 
came  forth  to  drive  them  away.  They  attacked  him.  Then  he 
shot  at  them  with  his  unerring  arrows  and  he  drove  them  away. 
Up  the  mountain  and  away  to  far  rivers  the  centaurs  raced, 
pursued  by  Heracles  with  his  bow. 

One  was  slain,  Pholus,  the  centaur  who  had  entertained  hirn. 
By  accident  Heracles  dropped  a  poisoned  arrow  on  his  foot. 
He  took  the  body  of  Pholus  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  and 
buried  the  centaur  there.  Afterward,  on  the  snows  of  Ery- 
manthus,  he  set  a  snare  for  the  boar  and  caught  him  there. 


232  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Upon  his  shoulders  he  carried  the  boar  to  Mycenae  and  he 
led  the  deer  by  her  golden  horns.  When  Eurystheus  had  looked 
upon  them  the  boar  was  slain,  but  the  deer  was  loosed  and  she 
fled  back  to  the  Mountain  Artemision. 

King  Eurystheus  sat  hidden  in  the  great  jar,  and  he  thought 
of  more  terrible  labors  he  would  make  Heracles  engage  in.  Now 
he  would  send  him  oversea  and  make  him  strive  with  fierce 
tribes  and  more  dread  monsters.  When  he  had  it  all  thought 
out  he  had  Heracles  brought  before  him  and  he  told  him  of 
these  other  labors. 

He  was  to  go  to  savage  Thrace  and  there  destroy  the  man- 
eating  horses  of  KingDiomedes;  afterward  he  was  to  go  amongst 
the  dread  women,  the  Amazons,  daughters  of  Ares,  the  god  of 
war,  and  take  from  their  queen,  Hippolyte,  the  girdle  that  Ares 
had  given  her;  then  he  was  to  go  to  Crete  and  take  from  the 
keeping  of  King  Minos  the  beautiful  bull  that  Poseidon  had 
given  him;  afterward  he  was  to  go  to  the  Island  of  Erytheia  and 
take  away  from  Geryoneus,  the  monster  that  had  three  bodies 
instead  of  one,  the  herd  of  red  cattle  that  the  two-headed  hound 
Orthus  kept  guard  over;  then  he  was  to  go  to  the  Garden  of  the 
Hesperides,  and  from  that  garden  he  was  to  take  the  golden 
apples  that  Zeus  had  given  to  Hera  for  a  marriage  gift  —  where 
the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides  was  no  mortal  knew. 

So  Heracles  set  out  on  a  long  and  perilous  quest.  First 
he  went  to  Thrace,  that  savage  land  that  was  ruled  over  by 
Diomedes,  son  of  Ares,  the  war  god.    Heracles  broke  into  the 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  233 

stable  where  the  horses  were;  he  caught  three  of  them  by  their 
heads,  and  although  they  kicked  and  bit  and  trampled  he  forced 
them  out  of  the  stable  and  down  to  the  seashore,  where  his 
companion,  Abderus,  waited  for  him.  The  screams  of  the  fierce 
horses  were  heard  by  the  men  of  Thrace,  and  they,  with  their 
king,  came  after  Heracles.  He  left  the  horses  in  charge  of 
Abderus  while  he  fought  the  Thracians  and  their  savage  king. 
Heracles  shot  his  deadly  arrows  amongst  them,  and  then  he 
fought  with  their  king.  He  drove  them  from  the  seashore,  and 
then  he  came  back  to  where  he  had  left  Abderus  with  the  fierce 
horses. 

They  had  thrown  Abderus  upon  the  ground,  and  they  were 
trampling  upon  him.  Heracles  drew  his  bow  and  he  shot  the 
horses  with  the  unerring  arrows  that  were  dipped  with  the  gall 
of  the  Hydra  he  had  slain.  Screaming,  the  horses  of  King 
Diomedes  raced  toward  the  sea,  but  one  fell  and  another  fell, 
and  then,  as  it  came  to  the  line  of  the  foam,  the  third  of  the 
fierce  horses  feii.     They  were  all  slain  with  the  unerring  arrows. 

Then  Heracles  took  up  the  body  of  his  companion  and  he 
buried  it  with  proper  rights,  and  over  it  he  raised  a  column. 
Afterward,  around  that  column  a  city  that  bore  the  name  of 
Heracles's  friend  was  built. 

Then  toward  the  Euxine  Sea  he  went.  There,  where  the  River 
Themiscyra  flows  into  the  sea  he  saw  the  abodes  of  the  Amazons. 
And  upon  the  rocks  and  the  steep  place  he  saw  the  warrior 
women  standing  with  drawn  bows  in  their  hands-    Most  dan- 


234  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

gerous  did  they  seem  to  Heracles.  He  did  not  know  how  to 
approach  them;  he  might  shoot  at  them  with  his  unerring  ar- 
rows, but  when  his  arrows  were  all  shot  away,  the  Amazons, 
from  their  steep  places,  might  be  able  to  kill  him  with  the  arrows 
from  their  bows. 

While  he  stood  at  a  distance,  wondering  what  he  might  do, 
a  horn  was  sounded  and  an  Amazon  mounted  upon  a  white 
stallion  rode  toward  him.  When  the  warrior-woman  came  near 
she  cried  out,  "Heracles,  the  Queen  Hippolyte  permits  you  to 
come  amongst  the  Amazons.  Enter  her  tent  and  declare  to  the 
queen  what  has  brought  you  amongst  the  never-conquered 
Amazons." 

Heracles  came  to  the  tent  of  the  queen.  There  stood  tall 
Hippolyte  with  an  iron  crown  upon  her  head  and  with  a  beau- 
tiful girdle  of  bronze  and  iridescent  glass  around  her  waist. 
Proud  and  fierce  as  a  mountain  eagle  looked  the  queen  of  the 
Amazons:  Heracles  did  not  know  in  what  way  he  might  con- 
quer her.  Outside  the  tent  the  Amazons  stood;  they  struck 
their  shields  with  their  spears,  keeping  up  a  continuous  savage  din. 

"For  what  has  Heracles  come  to  the  country  of  the  Ama- 
zons?" Queen  Hippolyte  asked. 

"For  the  girdle  you  wear,"  said  Heracles,  and  he  held  his 
hands  ready  for  the  struggle. 

"Is  it  for  the  girdle  given  me  by  Ares,  the  god  of  war,  that 
you  have  come,  braving  the  Amazons,  Heracles?"  asked  the 
queen. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  235 

"For  that,"  said  Heracles. 

"I  would  not  have  you  enter  into  strife  with  the  Amazons," 
said  Queen  Hippolyte.  And  so  saying  she  drew  off  the  girdle 
of  bronze  and  iridescent  glass,  and  she  gave  it  into  his  hands. 

Heracles  took  the  beautiful  girdle  into  his  hands.  Fearful 
he  was  that  some  piece  of  guile  was  being  played  upon  him,  but 
then  he  looked  into  the  open  eyes  of  the  queen  and  he  saw  that 
she  meant  no  guile.  He  took  the  girdle  and  he  put  it  around 
his  great  brows;  then  he  thanked  Hippolyte  and  he  went  from 
the  tent.  He  saw  the  Amazons  standing  on  the  rocks  and  the 
steep  places  with  bows  bent;  unchallenged  he  went  on,  and  he 
came  to  his  ship  and  he  sailed  away  from  that  country  with 
one  more  labor  accomplished. 

The  labor  that  followed  was  not  dangerous.  He  sailed  over 
sea  and  he  came  to  Crete,  to  the  land  that  King  Minos  ruled 
over.  And  there  he  found,  grazing  in  a  special  pasture,  the 
bull  that  Poseidon  had  given  King  Minos.  He  laid  his  hands 
upon  the  bull's  horns  and  he  struggled  with  him  and  he  over- 
threw him.     Then  he  drove  the  bull  down  to  the  seashore. 

His  next  labor  was  to  take  away  the  herd  of  red  cattle  that 
was  owned  by  the  monster  Geryoneus.  In  the  Island  of  Ery- 
theia,  in  the  middle  of  the  Stream  of  Ocean,  lived  the  monster, 
his  herd  guarded  by  the  two-headed  hound  Orthus  —  that 
hound  was  the  brother  of  Cerberus,  the  three-headed  hound 
that  kept  guard  in  the  Underworld. 

Mounted  upon  the  bull  given  Minos  by  Poseidon,  Heracles 


236  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

fared  across  the  sea.  He  came  even  to  the  straits  that  divide 
Europe  from  Africa,  and  there  he  set  up  two  pillars  as  a  me- 
morial of  his  journey  —  the  Pillars  of  Heracles  that  stand  to 
this  day.  He  and  the  bull  rested  there.  Beyond  him  stretched 
the  Stream  of  Ocean;  the  Island  of  Erytheia  was  there,  but  Her- 
acles thought  that  the  bull  would  not  be  able  to  bear  him  so  far. 

And  there  the  sun  beat  upon  him,  and  drew  all  strength  away 
from  him,  and  he  was  dazed  and  dazzled  by  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  He  shouted  out  against  the  sun,  and  in  his  anger  he 
wanted  to  strive  against  the  sun.  Then  he  drew  his  bow  and 
shot  arrows  upward.  Far,  far  out  of  sight  the  arrows  of  Her- 
acles went.  And  the  sun  god,  Helios,  was  filled  with  admira- 
tion for  Heracles,  the  man  who  would  attempt  the  impossible 
by  shooting  arrows  at  him ;  then  did  Helios  fling  down  to  Her- 
acles his  great  golden  cup. 

Down,  and  into  the  Stream  of  Ocean  fell  the  great  golden 
cup  of  Helios.  It  floated  there  wide  enough  to  hold  all  the 
men  who  might  be  in  a  ship.  Heracles  put  the  bull  of  Minos 
into  the  cup  of  Helios,  and  the  cup  bore  them  away,  toward 
the  west,  and  across  the  Stream  of  Ocean. 

Thus  Heracles  came  to  the  Island  of  Erytheia.  All  over  the 
island  straggled  the  red  cattle  of  Geryoneus,  grazing  upon  the 
rich  pastures.  Heracles,  leaving  the  bull  of  Minos  in  the  cup, 
went  upon  the  island;  he  made  a  club  for  himself  out  of  a  tree 
and  he  went  toward  the  cattle. 

The  hound  Orthus  bayed  and  ran  toward  him;    the  two- 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  237 

headed  hound  that  was  the  brother  of  Cerberus  sprang  at  Her- 
acles with  poisonous  foam  upon  his  jaws.  Heracles  swung  his 
club  and  struck  the  two  heads  off  the  hound.  And  where  the 
foam  of  the  hound's  jaws  dropped  down  a  poisonous  plant 
sprang  up.  Heracles  took  up  the  body  of  the  hound,  and 
swung  it  around  and  flung  it  far  out  into  the  Ocean. 

Then  the  monster  Geryoneus  came  upon  him.  Three  bodies 
he  had  instead  of  one;  he  attacked  Heracles  by  hurling  great 
stones  at  him.  Heracles  was  hurt  by  the  stones.  And  then  the 
monster  beheld  the  cup  of  Helios,  and  he  began  to  hurl  stones 
at  the  golden  thing,  and  it  seemed  that  he  might  sink  it  in  the 
sea,  and  leave  Heracles  without  a  way  of  getting  from  the  island. 
Heracles  took  up  his  bow  and  he  shot  arrow  after  arrow  at  the 
monster,  and  he  left  him  dead  in  the  deep  grass  of  the  pastures. 

Then  he  rounded  up  the  red  cattle,  the  bulls  and  the  cows, 
and  he  drove  them  down  to  the  shore  and  into  the  golden  cup 
of  Helios  where  the  bull  of  Minos  stayed.  Then  back  across 
the  Stream  of  Ocean  the  cup  floated,  and  the  bull  of  Crete  and 
the  cattle  of  Geryoneus  were  brought  past  Sicily  and  through 
the  straits  called  the  Hellespont.  To  Thrace,  that  savage  land, 
they  came.  Then  Heracles  took  the  cattle  out,  and  the  cup  of 
Helios  sank  in  the  sea.  Through  the  wild  lands  of  Thrace  he 
drove  the  herd  of  Geryoneus  and  the  bull  of  Minos,  and  he 
came  into  Mycenae  once  more. 

But  he  did  not  stay  to  speak  with  Eurystheus.  He  started 
off  to  find  the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides,  the  Daughters  of  the 


238  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Evening  Land.  Long  did  he  search,  but  he  found  no  one  who 
could  tell  him  where  the  garden  was.  And  at  last  he  went  to 
Chiron  on  the  Mountain  Pelion,  and  Chiron  told  Heracles  what 
journey  he  would  have  to  make  to  come  to  the  Hesperides,  the 
Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land. 

Far  did  Heracles  journey;  weary  he  was  when  he  came  to 
where  Atlas  stood,  bearing  the  sky  upon  his  weary  shoulders. 
As  he  came  near  he  felt  an  undreamt-of  perfume  being  wafted 
toward  him.  So  weary  was  he  with  his  journey  and  all  his 
toils  that  he  would  fain  sink  down  and  dream  away  in  that 
evening  land.  But  he  roused  himself,  and  he  journeyed  on 
toward  where  the  perfume  came  from.  Over  that  place  a  star 
seemed  always  about  to  rise. 

He  came  to  where  a  silver  lattice  fenced  a  garden  that  was  full 
of  the  quiet  of  evening.  Golden  bees  hummed  through  the  air, 
and  there  was  the  sound  of  quiet  waters.  How  wild  and  labori- 
ous was  the  world  he  had  come  from,  Heracles  thought!  He 
felt  that  it  would  be  hard  for  him  to  return  to  that  world. 

He  saw  three  maidens.  They  stood  with  wreaths  upon  their 
heads  and  blossoming  branches  in  their  hands.  When  the 
maidens  saw  him  they  came  toward  him  crying  out:  aO  man 
who  has  come  into  the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides,  go  not  near 
the  tree  that  the  sleepless  dragon  guards!"  Then  they  went 
and  stood  by  a  tree  as  if  to  keep  guard  over  it.  All  around  were 
trees  that  bore  flowers  and  fruit,  but  this  tree  had  golden  apples 
amongst  its  bright  green  leaves. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  239 

Then  he  saw  the  guardian  of  the  tree.  Beside  its  trunk  a 
dragon  lay,  and  as  Heracles  came  near  the  dragon  showed  its 
glittering  scales  and  its  deadly  claws. 

The  apples  were  within  reach,  but  the  dragon,  with  its  glitter- 
ing scales  and  claws,  stood  in  the  way.  Heracles  shot  an  arrow; 
then  a  tremor  went  through  Ladon,  the  sleepless  dragon;  it 
screamed  and  then  lay  stark.  The  maidens  cried  in  their  grief; 
Heracles  went  to  the  tree,  and  he  plucked  the  golden  apples 
and  he  put  them  into  the  pouch  he  carried.  Down  on  the 
ground  sank  the  Hesperides,  the  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land, 
and  he  heard  their  laments  as  he  went  from  the  enchanted 
garden  they  had  guarded. 

Back  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  came  Heracles,  back  from 
the  place  where  Atlas  stood  holding  the  sky  upon  his  weary 
shoulders.  He  went  back  through  Asia  and  Libya  and  Egypt, 
and  he  came  again  to  Mycenae  and  to  the  palace  of  Eurystheus. 

He  brought  to  the  king  the  herd  of  Geryoneus;  he  brought 
to  the  king  the  bull  of  Minos;  he  brought  to  the  king  the  girdle 
of  Hippolyte;  he  brought  to  the  king  the  golden  apples  of  the 
Hesperides.  And  King  Eurystheus,  with  his  thin  white  face, 
sat  upon  his  royal  throne  and  he  looked  over  all  the  wonderful 
things  that  the  hero  had  brought  him.  Not  pleased  was  Eurys- 
theus; rather  was  he  angry  that  one  he  hated  could  win  such 
wonderful  things. 

He  took  into  his  hands  the  golden  apples  of  the  Hesperides. 
But  this  fruit  was  not  for  such  as  he.      An  eagle  snatched  the 


240  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

branch  from  his  hand,  and  the  eagle  flew  and  flew  until  it  came 
to  where  the  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land  wept  in  their  garden. 
There  the  eagle  let  fall  the  branch  with  the  golden  apples,  and 
the  maidens  set  it  back  upon  the  tree,  and  behold!  it  grew  as 
it  had  been  growing  before  Heracles  plucked  it. 

The  next  day  the  heralds  of  Eurystheus  came  to  Heracles 
and  they  told  him  of  the  last  labor  that  he  would  have  to  set 
out  to  accomplish  —  this  time  he  would  have  to  go  down  into  the 
Underworld,  and  bring  up  from  King  Aidoneus's  realm  Cer- 
berus, the  three-headed  hound. 

Heracles  put  upon  him  the  impenetrable  lion's  skin  and  set 
forth  once  more.  This  might  indeed  be  the  last  of  his  life's 
labors :  Cerberus  was  not  an  earthly  monster,  and  he  who  would 
struggle  with  Cerberus  in  the  Underworld  would  have  the  gods 
of  the  dead  against  him. 

But  Heracles  went  on.  He  journeyed  to  the  cave  Tainaron, 
which  was  an  entrance  to  the  Underworld.  Far  into  that 
dismal  cave  he  went,  and  then  down,  down,  until  he  came  to 
Acheron,  that  dim  river  that  has  beyond  it  only  the  people  of 
the  dead.  Cerberus  bayed  at  him  from  the  place  where  the 
dead  cross  the  river.  Knowing  that  he  was  no  shade,  the  hound 
sprang  at  Heracles,  but  he  could  neither  bite  nor  tear  through 
that  impenetrable  lion's  skin.  Heracles  held  him  by  the  neck 
of  his  middle  head  so  that  Cerberus  was  neither  able  to  bite  nor 
tear  nor  bellow. 

Then  to  the  brink  of  Acheron  came  Persephone,  queen  of  the 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  241 

Underworld.  She  declared  to  Heracles  that  the  gods  of  the 
dead  would  not  strive  against  him  if  he  promised  to  bring  Cer- 
berus back  to  the  Underworld,  carrying  the  hound  downward 
again  as  he  carried  him  upward. 

This  Heracles  promised.  He  turned  around  and  he  carried 
Cerberus,  his  hands  around  the  monster's  neck  while  foam 
dripped  from  his  jaws.  He  carried  him  on  and  upward  toward 
the  world  of  men.  Out  through  a  cave  that  was  in  the  land  of 
Trcezen  Heracles  came,  still  carrying  Cerberus  by  the  neck  of 
his  middle  head. 

From  Trcezen  to  Mycenae  the  hero  went  and  men  fled  before 
him  at  the  sight  of  the  monster  that  he  carried.  On  he  went 
toward  the  king's  palace.  Eurystheus  was  seated  outside  his 
palace  that  day,  looking  at  the  great  jar  that  he  had  often 
hidden  in,  and  thinking  to  himself  that  Heracles  would  never 
appear  to  affright  him  again.  Then  Heracles  appeared.  He 
called  to  Eurystheus,  and  when  the  king  looked  up  he  held 
the  hound  toward  him.  The  three  heads  grinned  at  Eurys- 
theus; he  gave  a  cry  and  scrambled  into  the  jar.  But  before 
his  feet  touched  the  bottom  of  it  Eurystheus  was  dead  of  fear. 
The  jar  rolled  over,  and  Heracles  looked  upon  the  body  that 
was  all  twisted  with  fright.  Then  he  turned  around  and  made 
his  way  back  to  the  Underworld.  On  the  brink  of  Acheron 
he  loosed  Cerberus,  and  the  bellow  of  the  three-headed  hound 
was  heard  again. 


242  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 


II 


It  was  then  that  Heracles  was  given  arms  by  the  gods  — 
the  sword  of  Hermes,  the  bow  of  Apollo,  the  shield  made  by 
Hephaestus;  it  was  then  that  Heracles  joined  the  Argonauts  and 
journeyed  with  them  to  the  edge  of  the  Caucasus,  where,  slay- 
ing the  vulture  that  preyed  upon  Prometheus 's  liver,  he,  at  the 
will  of  Zeus,  liberated  the  Titan.  Thereafter  Zeus  and 
Prometheus  were  reconciled,  and  Zeus,  that  neither  might  for- 
get how  much  the  enmity  between  them  had  cost  gods  and 
men,  had  a  ring  made  for  Prometheus  to  wear;  that  ring  was 
made  out  of  the  fetter  that  had  been  upon  him,  and  in  it  was 
set  a  fragment  of  the  rock  that  the  Titan  had  been  bound  to. 

The  Argonauts  had  now  won  back  to  Greece.  But  before 
he  saw  any  of  them  he  had  been  in  Oichalia,  and  had  seen  the 
maiden  Iole. 

The  king  of  Oichalia  had  offered  his  daughter  Iole  in  mar- 
riage to  the  hero  who  could  excel  himself  and  his  sons  in  shoot- 
ing with  arrows.  Heracles  saw  Iole,  the  blue-eyed  and  child- 
like maiden,  and  he  longed  to  take  her  with  him  to  some  place 
near  the  Garden  of  the  Hesperides.  And  Iole  looked  on  him, 
and  he  knew  that  she  wondered  to  see  him  so  tall  and  so  strongly 
knit  even  as  he  wondered  to  see  her  so  childlike  and  delicate. 

Then  the  contest  began.  The  king  and  his  sons  shot  won- 
derfully well,  and  none  of  the  heroes  who  stood  before  Heracles 
had  a  chance  of  winning.     Then  Heracles  shot  his  arrows. 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  243 

No  matter  how  far  away  they  moved  the  mark,  Heracles  struck 
it  and  struck  the  very  center  of  it.  The  people  wondered  who 
this  great  archer  might  be.  And  then  a  name  was  guessed  at 
and  went  around  —  Heracles ! 

When  the  king  heard  the  name  of  Heracles  he  would  not  let 
him  strive  in  the  contest  any  more.  For  the  maiden  Iole  would 
not  be  given  as  a  prize  to  one  who  had  been  mad  and  whose 
madness  might  afflict  him  again.  So  the  king  said,  speaking 
in  judgment  in  the  market  place. 

Rage  came  on  Heracles  when  he  heard  this  judgment  given. 
He  would  not  let  his  rage  master  him  lest  the  madness  that 
was  spoken  of  should  come  with  his  rage.  So  he  left  the  city 
of  Oichalia  declaring  to  the  king  and  the  people  that  he  would 
return. 

It  was  then  that,  wandering  down  to  Crete,  he  heard  of  the 
Argonauts  being  near.  And  afterward  he  heard  of  them  being  in 
Calydon,  hunting  the  boar  that  ravaged  (Eneus's  country.  To 
Calydon  Heracles  went.  The  heroes  had  departed  when  he  came 
into  the  country,  and  all  the  city  was  in  grief  for  the  deaths 
of  Prince  Meleagrus  and  his  two  uncles. 

On  the  steps  of  the  temple  where  Meleagrus  and  his  uncles 
had  been  brought  Heracles  saw  Deianira,  Meleagrus's  sister. 
She  was  pale  with  her  grief,  this  tall  woman  of  the  mountains; 
she  looked  like  a  priestess,  but  also  like  a  woman  who  could 
cheer  camps  of  men  with  her  counsel,  her  bravery,  and  her  good 
companionship;  her  hair  was  very  dark  and  she  had  dark  eyes. 


244  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Straightway  she  became  friends  with  Heracles;  and  when 
they  saw  each  other  for  a  while  they  loved  each  other.  And 
Heracles  forgot  Iole,  the  childlike  maiden  whom  he  had  seen 
in  Oichalia. 

He  made  himself  a  suitor  for  Deianira,  and  those  who  pro- 
tected her  were  glad  of  Heracles' s  suit,  and  they  told  him  they 
would  give  him  the  maiden  to  marry  as  soon  as  the  mourning 
for  Prince  Meleagrus  and  his  uncles  was  over.  Heracles  stayed 
in  Calydon,  happy  with  Deianira,  who  had  so  much  beauty, 
wisdom,  and  bravery. 

But  then  a  dreadful  thing  happened  in  Calydon;  by  an  acci- 
dent, while  using  his  strength  unthinkingly,  Heracles  killed  a 
lad  who  was  related  to  Deianira.  He  might  not  marry  her 
now  until  he  had  taken  punishment  for  slaying  one  who  was 
close  to  her  in  blood. 

As  a  punishment  for  the  slaying  it  was  judged  that  Heracles 
should  be  sold  into  slavery  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  his 
three  years'  slavery  he  could  come  back  to  Calydon  and  wed 
Deianira. 

And  so  Heracles  and  Deianira  were  parted.  He  was  sold  as 
a  slave  in  Lydia;  the  one  who  bought  him  was  a  woman,  a 
widow  named  Omphale.  To  her  house  Heracles  went,  carrying 
his  armor  and  wearing  his  lion's  skin.  And  Omphale  laughed  to 
see  this  tall  man  dressed  in  a  lion's  skin  coming  to  her  house 
to  do  a  servant's  tasks  for  her. 

She  and  all  in  her  house  kept  up  fun  with  Heracles.    They 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  245 

would  set  him  to  do  housework,  to  carry  water,  and  set  vessels 
on  the  tables,  and  clear  the  vessels  away.  Omphale  set  him  to 
spin  with  a  spindle  as  the  women  did.  And  often  she  would 
put  on  Heracles's  Hon  skin  and  go  about  dragging  his  club, 
while  he,  dressed  in  woman's  garb,  washed  dishes  and  emptied 
pots. 

But  he  would  lose  patience  with  these  servant's  tasks,  and 
then  Omphale  would  let  him  go  away  and  perform  some  great 
exploit.  Often  he  went  on  long  journeys  and  stayed  away  for 
long  times.  It  was  while  he  was  in  slavery  to  Omphale  that 
he  liberated  Theseus  from  the  dungeon  in  which  he  was  held 
with  Peirithous,  and  it  was  while  he  still  was  in  slavery  that  he 
made  his  journey  to  Troy. 

At  Troy  he  helped  to  repair  for  King  Laomedon  the  great 
walls  that  years  before  Apollo  and  Poseidon  had  built  around 
the  city.  As  a  reward  for  this  labor  he  was  offered  the  Princess 
Hesione  in  marriage;  she  was  the  daughter  of  King  Laomedon, 
and  the  sister  of  Priam,  who  was  then  called,  not  Priam  but 
Podarces.  He  helped  to  repair  the  wall,  and  two  of  the  Argo- 
nauts were  there  to  aid  him :  one  was  Peleus  and  the  other  was 
Telamon.  Peleus  did  not  stay  for  long:  Telamon  stayed,  and 
to  reward  Telamon  Heracles  withdrew  his  own  claim  for  the 
hand  of  the  Princess  Hesione.  It  was  not  hard  on  Heracles  to 
do  this,  for  his  thoughts  were  ever  upon  Deianira. 

But  Telamon  rejoiced,  for  he  loved  Hesione  greatly.  On  the 
day  they  married  Heracles  showed  the  two  an  eagle  in  the  sky. 


246  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

He  said  it  was  sent  as  an  omen  to  them  —  an  omen  for  their 
marriage.  And  in  memory  of  that  omen  Telamon  named  his 
son  "Aias";   that  is,  "Eagle." 

Then  the  walls  of  Troy  were  repaired  and  Heracles  turned 
toward  Lydia,  Omphale's  home.  Not  long  would  he  have  to 
serve  Omphale  now,  for  his  three  years'  slavery  was  n  arly 
over.     Soon  he  would  go  back  to  Calydon  and  wed  Deianira. 

As  he  went  along  the  road  to  Lydia  he  thought  of  all  the 
pleasantries  that  had  been  made  in  Omphale's  house  and  he 
laughed  at  the  memory  of  them.  Lydia  was  a  friendly  country, 
and  even  though  he  had  been  in  slavery  Heracles  had  had  his 
good  times  there. 

He  was  tired  with  the  journey  and  made  sleepy  with  the  heat 
of  the  sun,  and  when  he  came  within  sight  of  Omphale's  house 
he  lay  down  by  the  side  of  the  road,  first  taking  off  his  armor, 
and  laying  aside  his  bow,  his  quiver,  and  his  shield.  He  wak- 
ened up  to  see  two  men  looking  down  upon  him;  he  knew  that 
these  were  the  Cer copes,  robbers  who  waylaid  travelers  upon 
this  road.  They  were  laughing  as  they  looked  down  on  him, 
and  Heracles  saw  that  they  held  his  arms  and  his  armor  in 
their  hands. 

They  thought  that  this  man,  for  all  his  tallness,  would  yield 
to  them  when  he  saw  that  they  had  his  arms  and  his  armor. 
But  Heracles  sprang  up,  and  he  caught  one  by  the  waist  and 
the  other  by  the  neck,  and  he  turned  them  upside  down  and 
tied  them  together  by  the  heels.     Now  he  held  them  securely 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  247 

and  he  would  take  them  to  the  town  and  give  them  over  to 
those  whom  they  had  waylaid  and  robbed.  He  hung  them  by 
their  heels  across  his  shoulders  and  marched  on. 

But  the  robbers,  as  they  were  being  bumped  along,  began 
to  relate  pleasantries  and  mirthful  tales  to  each  other,  and  Her- 
acles, listening,  had  to  laugh.  And  one  said  to  the  other,  "0 
my  brother,  we  are  in  the  position  of  the  frogs  when  the  mice 
fell  upon  them  with  such  fury."  And  the  other  said,  "Indeed 
nothing  can  save  us  if  Zeus  does  not  send  an  ally  to  us  as  he 
sent  an  ally  to  the  frogs."  And  the  first  robber  said,  "Who 
began  that  conflict,  the  frogs  or  the  mice?"  And  thereupon 
the  second  robber,  his  head  reaching  down  to  Heracles's  waist, 
began : 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS  AND  MICE 

A  warlike  mouse  came  down  to  the  brink  of  a  pond  for  no 
other  reason  than  to  take  a  drink  of  water.  Up  to  him  hopped 
a  frog.  Speaking  in  the  voice  of  one  who  had  rule  and  authority, 
the  frog  said: 

"  Stranger  to  our  shore,  you  may  not  know  it,  but  I  am  Puff 
Jaw,  king  of  the  frogs.  I  do  not  speak  to  common  mice,  but 
you,  as  I  judge,  belong  to  the  noble  and  kingly  sort.  Tell  me 
your  race.  If  I  know  it  to  be  a  noble  one  I  shall  show  you  my 
kingly  friendship." 

The  mouse,  speaking  haughtily,  said:  "I  am  Crumb  Snatcher, 
and  my  race  is  a  famous  one.     My  father  is  the  heroic  Bread 


248  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Nibbler,  and  he  married  Quern  Licker,  the  lovely  daughter  of  a 
king.  Like  all  my  race  I  am  a  warrior  who  has  never  been 
wont  to  flinch  in  battle.  Moreover,  I  have  been  brought  up 
as  a  mouse  of  high  degree,  and  figs  and  nuts,  cheese  and  honey- 
cakes  is  the  provender  that  I  have  been  fed  on." 

Now  this  reply  of  Crumb  Snatcher  pleased  the  kingly  frog 
greatly.  "Come  with  me  to  my  abode,  illustrious  Crumb 
Snatcher,''  said  he,  "and  I  shall  show  you  such  entertainment 
as  may  be  found  in  the  house  of  a  king." 

But  the  mouse  looked  sharply  at  him.  "How  may  I  get 
to  your  house?"  he  asked.  "We  live  in  different  elements, 
you  and  I.  We  mice  want  to  be  in  the  driest  of  dry  places, 
while  you  frogs  have  your  abodes  in  the  water." 

"Ah,"  answered  Puff  Jaw,  "you  do  not  know  how  favored 
the  frogs  are  above  all  other  creatures.  To  us  alone  the  gods 
have  given  the  power  to  live  both  in  the  water  and  on  the  land. 
I  shall  take  you  to  my  land  palace  that  is  the  other  side  of  the 
pond." 

"How  may  I  go  there  with  you?"  asked  Crumb  Snatcher  the 
mouse,  doubtfully. 

"Upon  my  back,"  said  the  frog.  "Up  now,  noble  Crumb 
Snatcher.  And  as  we  go  I  will  show  you  the  wonders  of  the 
deep." 

He  offered  his  back  and  Crumb  Snatcher  bravely  mounted. 
The  mouse  put  his  forepaws  around  the  frog's  neck.  Then 
Puff  Jaw  swam  out.     Crumb  Snatcher  at  first  was  pleased  to 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  249 

feel  himself  moving  through  the  water.  But  as  the  dark  waves 
began  to  rise  his  mighty  heart  began  to  quail.  He  longed  to 
be  back  upon  the  land.     He  groaned  aloud. 

"How  quickly  we  get  on/'  cried  Puff  Jaw;  "soon  we  shall  be 
at  my  land  palace." 

Heartened  by  this  speech,  Crumb  Snatcher  put  his  tail  into 
the  water  and  worked  it  as  a  steering  oar.  On  and  on  they 
went,  and  Crumb  Snatcher  gained  heart  for  the  adventure. 
What  a  wonderful  tale  he  would  have  to  tell  to  the  clans  of  the 
mice! 

But  suddenly,  out  of  the  depths  of  the  pond,  a  water  snake 
raised  his  horrid  head.  Fearsome  did  that  head  seem  to  both 
mouse  and  frog.  And  forgetful  of  the  guest  that  he  carried 
upon  his  back,  Puff  Jaw  dived  down  into  the  water.  He  reached 
the  bottom  of  the  pond  and  lay  on  the  mud  in  safety. 

But  far  from  safety  was  Crumb  Snatcher  the  mouse.  He 
sank  and  rose,  and  sank  again.  His  wet  fur  weighed  him  down. 
But  before  he  sank  for  the  last  time  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
cried  out  and  his  cry  was  heard  at  the  brink  of  the  pond: 

"  Ah,  Puff  Jaw,  treacherous  frog !  An  evil  thing  you  have  done, 
leaving  me  to  drown  in  the  middle  of  the  pond.  Had  you  faced 
me  on  the  land  I  should  have  shown  you  which  of  us  two  was 
the  better  warrior.  Now  I  must  lose  my  life  in  the  water.  But 
I  tell  you  my  death  shall  not  go  unavenged  —  the  cowardly 
frogs  will  be  punished  for  the  ill  they  have  done  to  me  who  am 
the  son  of  the  king  of  the  mice." 


2  so  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Then  Crumb  Snatcher  sank  for  the  last  time.  But  Lick 
Platter,  who  was  at  the  brink  of  the  pond,  had  heard  his  words. 
Straightway  this  mouse  rushed  to  the  hole  of  Bread  Nibbler 
and  told  him  of  the  death  of  his  princely  son. 

Bread  Nibbler  called  out  the  clans  of  the  mice.  The  war- 
rior mice  armed  themselves,  and  this  was  the  grand  way  of 
their  arming: 

First,  the  mice  put  on  greaves  that  covered  their  forelegs. 
These  they  made  out  of  bean  shells  broken  in  two.  For  shield, 
each  had  a  lamp's  centerpiece.  For  spears  they  had  the  long 
bronze  needles  that  they  had  carried  out  of  the  houses  of  men. 
So  armed  and  so  accoutered  they  were  ready  to  war  upon  the 
frogs.  And  Bread  Nibbler,  their  king,  shouted  to  them:  "Fall 
upon  the  cowardly  frogs,  and  leave  not  one  alive  upon  the  bank 
of  the  pond.  Henceforth  that  bank  is  ours,  and  ours  only. 
Forward!" 

And,  on  the  other  side,  Puff  Jaw  was  urging  the  frogs  to 
battle.  "Let  us  take  our  places  on  the  edge  of  the  pond,"  he 
said,  "and  when  the  mice  come  amongst  us,  let  each  catch  hold 
of  one  and  throw  him  into  the  pond.  Thus  we  will  get  rid  of 
these  dry  bobs,  the  mice." 

The  frogs  applauded  the  speech  of  their  king,  and  straight- 
way they  went  to  their  armor  and  their  weapons.  Their  legs 
they  covered  with  the  leaves  of  mallow.  For  breastplates  they 
had  the  leaves  of  beets.  Cabbage  leaves,  well  cut,  made  their 
strong  shields.     They  took  their  spears  from  the  pond  side  — 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  251 

deadly  pointed  rushes  they  were,  and  they  placed  upon  their 
heads  helmets  that  were  empty  snail  shells.  So  armed  and  so 
accoutered  they  were  ready  to  meet  the  grand  attack  of  the  mice. 

When  the  robber  came  to  this  part  of  the  story  Heracles 
halted  his  march,  for  he  was  shaking  with  laughter.  The  rob- 
ber stopped  in  his  story.  Heracles  slapped  him  on  the  leg  and 
said:  "What  more  of  the  heroic  exploits  of  the  mice?"  The 
second  robber  said,  "I  know  no  more,  but  perhaps  my  brother 
at  the  other  side  of  you  can  tell  you  of  the  mighty  combat  be- 
tween them  and  the  frogs."  Then  Heracles  shifted  the  first 
robber  from  his  back  to  his  front,  and  the  first  robber  said: 
"I  will  tell  you  what  I  know  about  the  heroical  combat  between 
the  frogs  and  the  mice."    And  thereupon  he  began: 

The  gnats  blew  their  trumpets.  This  was  the  dread  signal 
for  war. 

Bread  Nibbler  struck  the  first  blow.  He  fell  upon  Loud 
Crier  the  frog,  and  overthrew  him.  At  this  Loud  Crier's  friend, 
Reedy,  threw  down  spear  and  shield  and  dived  into  the  water. 
This  seemed  to  presage  victory  for  the  mice.  But  then  Water 
Larker,  the  most  warlike  of  the  frogs,  took  up  a  great  pebble  and 
flung  it  at  Ham  Nibbler  who  was  then  pursuing  Reedy.  Down 
fell  Ham  Nibbler,  and  there  was  dismay  in  the  ranks  of  the 
mice. 

Then  Cabbage  Climber,  a  great-hearted  frog,  took  up  a  clod 


252  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

of  mud  and  flung  it  full  at  a  mouse  that  was  coming  furiously 
upon  him.  That  mouse's  helmet  was  knocked  off  and  his  fore- 
head was  plastered  with  the  clod  of  mud,  so  that  he  was  well- 
nigh  blinded. 

It  was  then  that  victory  inclined  to  the  frogs.  Bread  Nibbler 
again  came  into  the  fray.  He  rushed  furiously  upon  Puff  Jaw 
the  king. 

Leeky,  the  trusted  friend  of  Puff  Jaw,  opposed  Bread  Nibbler 's 
onslaught.  Mightily  he  drove  his  spear  at  the  king  of  the  mice. 
But  the  point  of  the  spear  broke  upon  Bread  Nibbler's  shield, 
and  then  Leeky  was  overthrown. 

Bread  Nibbler  came  upon  PufT  Jaw,  and  the  two  great 
kings  faced  each  other.  The  frogs  and  the  mice  drew  aside, 
and  there  was  a  pause  in  the  combat.  Bread  Nibbler  the 
mouse  struck  PufT  Jaw  the  frog  terribly  upon  the  toes. 

PufT  Jaw  drew  out  of  the  battle.  Now  all  would  have  been 
lost  for  the  frogs  had  not  Zeus,  the  father  of  the  gods,  looked 
down  upon  the  battle. 

"Dear,  dear,"  said  Zeus,  "what  can  be  done  to  save  the 
frogs?  They  will  surely  be  annihilated  if  the  charge  of  yonder 
mouse  is  not  halted." 

For  the  father  of  the  gods,  looking  down,  saw  a  warrior  mouse 
coming  on  in  the  most  dreadful  onslaught  of  the  whole  battle. 
Slice  Snatcher  was  the  name  of  this  warrior.  He  had  come  late 
into  the  field.  He  waited  to  split  a  chestnut  in  two  and  to  put 
the  halves  upon  his  paws.     Then,  furiously  dashing  amongst 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  253 

the  frogs,  he  cried  out  that  he  would  not  leave  the  ground  until 
he  had  destroyed  the  race,  leaving  the  bank  of  the  pond  a  play- 
ground for  the  mice  and  for  the  mice  alone. 

To  stop  the  charge  of  Slice  Snatcher  there  was  nothing  for 
Zeus  to  do  but  to  hurl  the  thunderbolt  that  is  the  terror  of 
gods  and  men. 

Frogs  and  mice  were  awed  by  the  thunder  and  the  flame. 
But  still  the  mice,  urged  on  by  Slice  Snatcher,  did  not  hold 
back  from  their  onslaught  upon  the  frogs. 

Now  would  the  frogs  have  been  utterly  destroyed;  but,  as 
they  dashed  on,  the  mice  encountered  a  new  and  a  dreadful 
army.  The  warriors  in  these  ranks  had  mailed  backs  and  curv- 
ing claws.  They  had  bandy  legs  and  long-stretching  arms. 
They  had  eyes  that  looked  behind  them.  They  came  on  side- 
ways. These  were  the  crabs,  creatures  until  now  unknown  to 
the  mice.  And  the  crabs  had  been  sent  by  Zeus  to  save  the 
race  of  the  frogs  from  utter  destruction. 

Coming  upon  the  mice  they  nipped  their  paws.  The  mice 
turned  around  and  they  nipped  their  tails.  In  vain  the  bold- 
est of  the  mice  struck  at  the  crabs  with  their  sharpened  spears. 
Not  upon  the  hard  shells  on  the  backs  of  the  crabs  did  the 
spears  of  the  mice  make  any  dint.  On  and  on,  on  their  queer 
feet  and  with  their  terrible  nippers,  the  crabs  went.  Bread 
Nibbler  could  not  rally  them  any  more,  and  Slice  Snatcher 
ceased  to  speak  of  the  monument  of  victory  that  the  mice 
would  erect  upon  the  bank  of  the  pond. 


254  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

With  their  heads  out  of  the  water  they  had  retreated  to,  the 
frogs  watched  the  finish  of  the  battle.  The  mice  threw  down 
their  spears  and  shields  and  fled  from  the  battleground.  On 
went  the  crabs  as  if  they  cared  nothing  for  their  victory,  and 
the  frogs  came  out  of  the  water  and  sat  upon  the  bank  and 
watched  them  in  awe. 

Heracles  had  laughed  at  the  diverting  tale  that  the  robbers 
had  told  him;  he  could  not  bring  them  then  to  a  place  where 
they  would  meet  with  captivity  or  death.  He  let  them  loose 
upon  the  highway,  and  the  robbers  thanked  him  with  high- 
flowing  speeches,  and  they  declared  that  if  they  should  ever 
find  him  sleeping  by  the  roadway  again  they  would  let  him  lie. 
Saying  this  they  went  away,  and  Heracles,  laughing  as  he 
thought  upon  the  great  exploits  of  the  frogs  and  mice,  went  on 
to  Omphale's  house. 

Omphale,  the  widow,  received  him  mirthfully,  and  then  set 
him  to  do  tasks  in  the  kitchen  while  she  sat  and  talked  to  him 
about  Troy  and  the  affairs  of  King  Laomedon.  And  afterward 
she  put  on  his  lion's  skin,  and  went  about  in  the  courtyard  drag- 
ging the  heavy  club  after  her.  Mirthfully  and  pleasantly  she 
made  the  rest  of  his  time  in  Lydia  pass  for  Heracles,  and  the 
last  day  of  his  slavery  soon  came,  and  he  bade  good-by  to 
Omphale,  that  pleasant  widow,  and  to  Lydia,  and  he  started 
off  for  Calydon  to  claim  his  bride  Deianira. 

Beautiful  indeed  Deianira  looked  now  that  she  had  ceased  to 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  255 

mourn  for  her  brother,  for  the  laughter  that  had  been  under  her 
grief  always  now  flashed  out  even  while  she  looked  priestesslike 
and  of  good  counsel;  her  dark  eyes  shone  like  stars,  and  her 
being  had  the  spirit  of  one  who  wanders  from  camp  to  camp, 
always  greeting  friends  and  leaving  friends  behind  her.  Her- 
acles and  Deianira  wed,  and  they  set  out  for  Tiryns,  where  a 
king  had  left  a  kingdom  to  Heracles. 

They  came  to  the  River  Evenus.  Heracles  could  have  crossed 
the  river  by  himself,  but  he  could  not  cross  it  at  the  part  he 
came  to,  carrying  Deianira.  He  and  she  went  along  the  river, 
seeking  a  ferry  that  might  take  them  across.  They  wandered 
along  the  side  of  the  river,  happy  with  each  other,  and  they 
came  to  a  place  where  they  had  sight  of  a  centaur. 

Heracles  knew  this  centaur.  He  was  Nessus,  one  of  the 
centaurs  whom  he  had  chased  up  the  mountain  the  time  when 
he  went  to  hunt  the  Erymanthean  boar.  The  centaurs  knew 
him,  and  Nessus  spoke  to  Heracles  as  if  he  had  friendship  for 
him.  He  would,  he  said,  carry  Heracles 's  bride  across  the 
river. 

Then  Heracles  crossed  the  river,  and  he  waited  on  the  other 
side  for  Nessus  and  Deianira.  Nessus  went  to  another  part  of 
the  river  to  make  his  crossing.  Then  Heracles,  upon  the  other 
bank,  heard  screams  —  the  screams  of  his  wife,  Deianira.  He 
saw  that  the  centaur  was  savagely  attacking  her. 

Then  Heracles  leveled  his  bow  and  he  shot  at  Nessus.  Arrow 
after  arrow  he  shot  into  the  centaur's  body.     Nessus  loosed  his 


256  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

hold  on  Deianira,  and  he  lay  down  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  his 
lifeblood  streaming  from  him. 

Then  Nessus,  dying,  but  with  his  rage  against  Heracles  un- 
abated, thought  of  a  way  by  which  the  hero  might  be  made  to 
suffer  for  the  death  he  had  brought  upon  him.  He  called  to 
Deianira,  and  she,  seeing  he  could  do  her  no  more  hurt,  came 
close  to  him.  He  told  her  that  in  repentance  for  his  attack 
upon  her  he  would  bestow  a  great  gift  upon  her.  She  was  to 
gather  up  some  of  the  blood  that  flowed  from  him;  his  blood,  the 
centaur  said,  would  be  a  love  philter,  and  if  ever  her  husband's 
love  for  her  waned  it  would  grow  fresh  again  if  she  gave  to  him 
something  from  her  hands  that  would  have  this  blood  upon  it. 

Deianira,  who  had  heard  from  Heracles  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
centaurs,  believed  what  Nessus  told  her.  She  took  a  phial  and 
let  the  blood  pour  into  it.  Then  Nessus  plunged  into  the  river 
and  died  there  as  Heracles  came  up  to  where  Deianira  stood. 

She  did  not  speak  to  him  about  the  centaur's  words  to  her, 
nor  did  she  tell  him  that  she  had  hidden  away  the  phial  that 
had  Nessus's  blood  in  it.  They  crossed  the  river  at  another 
point  and  they  came  after  a  time  to  Tiryns  and  to  the  kingdom 
that  had  been  left  to  Heracles. 

There  Heracles  and  Deianira  lived,  and  a  son  who  was  named 
Hyllos  was  born  to  them.  And  after  a  time  Heracles  was  led 
into  a  war  with  Eurytus  —  Eurytus  who  was  king  of  Oichalia. 

Word  came  to  Deianira  that  Oichalia  was  taken  by  Heracles, 
and  that  the  king  and  his  daughter  Iole  were  held  captive. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  257 

Deianira  knew  that  Heracles  had  once  tried  to  win  this  maiden 
for  his  wife,  and  she  feared  that  the  sight  of  Iole  would  bring 
his  old  longing  back  to  him. 

She  thought  upon  the  words  that  Nessus  had  said  to  her,  and 
even  as  she  thought  upon  them  messengers  came  from  Heracles  to 
ask  her  to  send  him  a  robe  —  a  beautifully  woven  robe  that  she 
had  —  that  he  might  wear  it  while  making  a  sacrifice.  Deianira 
took  down  the  robe;  through  this  robe,  she  thought,  the  blood 
of  the  centaur  could  touch  Heracles  and  his  love  for  her  would 
revive.     Thinking  this  she  poured  Nessus's  blood  over  the  robe. 

Heracles  was  in  Oichalia  when  the  messengers  returned  to 
him.  He  took  the  robe  that  Deianira  sent,  and  he  went  to  a 
mountain  that  overlooked  the  sea  that  he  might  make  the  sacri- 
fice there.  Iole  went  with  him.  Then  he  put  on  the  robe 
that  Deianira  had  sent.  When  it  touched  his  flesh  the  robe 
burst  into  flame.  Heracles  tried  to  tear  it  off,  but  deeper  and 
deeper  into  his  flesh  the  flames  went.  They  burned  and  burned 
and  none  could  quench  them. 

Then  Heracles  knew  that  his  end  was  near.  He  would  die 
by  fire,  and  knowing  that  he  piled  up  a  great  heap  of  wood  and 
he  climbed  upon  it.  There  he  stayed  with  the  flaming  robe 
burning  into  him,  and  he  begged  of  those  who  passed  to  fire 
the  pile  that  his  end  might  come  more  quickly. 

None  would  fire  the  pile.  But  at  last  there  came  that  way 
a  young  warrior  named  Philoctetes,  and  Heracles  begged  of  him 
to  fire  the  pile.     Philoctetes,  knowing  that  it  was  the  will  of 


258  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

the  gods  that  Heracles  should  die  that  way,  lighted  the  pile. 
For  that  Heracles  bestowed  upon  him  his  great  bow  and  his 
unerring  arrows.  And  it  was  this  bow  and  these  arrows,  brought 
from  Philoctetes,  that  afterward  helped  to  take  Priam's  city. 
The  pile  that  Heracles  stood  upon  was  fired.  High  up,  above 
the  sea,  the  pile  burned.  All  who  were  near  that  burning  fled 
—  all  except  Iole,  that  childlike  maiden.  She  stayed  and 
watched  the  flames  mount  up  and  up.  They  wrapped  the  sky, 
and  the  voice  of  Heracles  was  heard  calling  upon  Zeus.  Then 
a  great  chariot  came  and  Heracles  was  borne  away  to  Olympus. 
Thus,  after  many  labors,  Heracles  passed  away,  a  mortal  passing 
into  an  immortal  being  in  a  great  burning  high  above  the  sea. 

V.    ADMETUS 

I 

'T  happened  once  that  Zeus  would  punish 
Apollo,  his  son.  Then  he  banished  him 
from  Olympus,  and  he  made  him  put  off 
his  divinity  and  appear  as  a  mortal 
man.  And  as  a  mortal  Apollo  sought  to 
earn  his  bread  amongst  men.  He  came 
to  the  house  of  King  Admetus  and  took 
service  with  him   as   his  herdsman. 

For  a  year  Apollo  served  the  young  king,  minding  his  herds 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  259 

of  black  cattle.  Admetus  did  not  know  that  it  was  one  of  the 
immortal  gods  who  was  in  his  house  and  in  his  fields.  But  he 
treated  him  in  friendly  wise,  and  Apollo  was  happy  whilst 
serving  Admetus. 

Afterward  people  wondered  at  Admetus 's  ever-smiling  face 
and  ever-radiant  being.  It  was  the  god's  kindly  thought  of 
him  that  gave  him  such  happiness.  And  when  Apollo  was  leav- 
ing his  house  and  his  fields  he  revealed  himself  to  Admetus, 
and  he  made  a  promise  to  him  that  when  the  god  of  the  Under- 
world sent  Death  for  him  he  would  have  one  more  chance  of 
bafrling  Death  than  any  mortal  man. 

That  was  before  Admetus  sailed  on  the  Argo  with  Jason  and 
the  companions  of  the  quest.  The  companionship  of  Admetus 
brought  happiness  to  many  on  the  voyage,  but  the  hero  to 
whom  it  gave  the  most  happiness  was  Heracles.  And  often 
Heracles  would  have  Admetus  beside  him  to  tell  him  about 
the  radiant  god  Apollo,  whose  bow  and  arrows  Heracles  had 
been  given. 

After  that  voyage  and  after  the  hunt  in  Calydon  Admetus 
went  back  to  his  own  land.  There  he  wed  that  fair  and  loving 
woman,  Alcestis.  He  might  not  wed  her  until  he  had  yoked 
lions  and  leopards  to  the  chariot  that  drew  her.  This  was  a 
feat  that  no  hero  had  been  able  to  accomplish.  With  Apollo's 
aid  he  accomplished  it.  Thereafter  Admetus,  having  the 
love  of  Alcestis,  was  even  more  happy  than  he  had  been 
before. 


260  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

One  day  as  he  walked  by  fold  and  through  pasture  field  he 
saw  a  figure  standing  beside  his  herd  of  black  cattle.  A  radiant 
figure  it  was,  and  Admetus  knew  that  this  was  Apollo  come  to 
him  again.  He  went  toward  the  god  and  he  made  reverence 
and  began  to  speak  to  him.  But  Apollo  turned  to  Admetus  a 
face  that  was  without  joy. 

"What  years  of  happiness  have  been  mine,  O  Apollo,  through 
your  friendship  for  me,"  said  Admetus.  "Ah,  as  I  walked  my 
pasture  land  to-day  it  came  into  my  mind  how  much  I  loved 
this  green  earth  and  the  blue  sky !  And  all  that  I  know  of  love 
and  happiness  has  come  to  me  through  you." 

But  still  Apollo  stood  before  him  with  a  face  that  was  with- 
out joy.  He  spoke  and  his  voice  was  not  that  clear  and  vibrant 
voice  that  he  had  once  in  speaking  to  Admetus.  "Admetus, 
Admetus,"  he  said,  "it  is  for  me  to  tell  you  that  you  may  no 
more  look  on  the  blue  sky  nor  walk  upon  the  green  earth.  It  is 
for  me  to  tell  you  that  the  god  of  the  Underworld  will  have 
you  come  to  him.  Admetus,  Admetus,  know  that  even  now 
the  god  of  the  Underworld  is  sending  Death  for  you." 

Then  the  light  of  the  world  went  out  for  Admetus,  and  he 
heard  himself  speaking  to  Apollo  in  a  shaking  voice:  "O  Apollo, 
Apollo,  thou  art  a  god,  and  surely  thou  canst  save  me!  Save 
me  now  from  this  Death  that  the  god  of  the  Underworld  is 
sending  for  me!" 

But  Apollo  said,  "Long  ago,  Admetus,  I  made  a  bargain  with 
the  god  of  the  Underworld  on  thy  behalf.     Thou  hast  been 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  261 

given  a  chance  more  than  any  mortal  man.  If  one  will  go 
willingly  in  thy  place  with  Death,  thou  canst  still  live  on.  Go. 
Admetus.  Thou  art  well  loved,  and  it  may  be  that  thou  wilt 
find  one  to  take  thy  place." 

Then  Apollo  went  up  unto  the  mountaintop  and  Admetus 
stayed  for  a  while  beside  the  cattle.  It  seemed  to  him  that  a 
little  of  the  darkness  had  lifted  from  the  world.  He  would  go 
to  his  palace.  There  were  aged  men  and  women  there,  servants 
and  slaves,  and  one  of  them  would  surely  be  willing  to  take 
the  king's  place  and  go  with  Death  down  to  the  Underworld. 

So  Admetus  thought  as  hb  went  toward  the  palace.  And 
then  he  came  upon  an  ancient  woman  who  sat  upon  stones  in 
the  courtyard,  grinding  corn  between  two  stones.  Long  had 
she  been  doing  that  wearisome  labor.  Admetus  had  known  her 
from  the  first  time  he  had  come  into  that  courtyard  as  a  little 
child,  and  he  had  never  seen  aught  in  her  face  but  a  heavy 
misery.  There  she  was  sitting  as  he  had  first  known  her,  with 
her  eyes  bleared  and  her  knees  shaking,  and  with  the  dust  of  the 
courtyard  and  the  husks  of  the  corn  in  her  matted  hair.  He 
went  to  her  and  spoke  to  her,  and  he  asked  her  to  take  the 
place  of  the  king  and  go  with  Death. 

But  when  she  heard  the  name  of  Death  horror  came  into  the 
face  of  the  ancient  woman,  and  she  cried  out  that  she  would 
not  let  Death  come  near  her.  Then  Admetus  left  her,  and  he 
came  upon  another,  upon  a  sightless  man  who  held  out  a  shriv- 
eled hand  for  the  food  that  the  servants  of  the  palace  might 


262  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

bestow  upon  him.  Admetus  took  the  man's  shriveled  hand, 
and  he  asked  him  if  he  would  not  take  the  king's  place  and 
go  with  Death  that  was  coming  for  him.  The  sightless  man, 
with  howls  and  shrieks,  said  he  would  not  go. 

Then  Admetus  went  into  the  palace  and  into  the  chamber 
where  his  bed  was,  and  he  lay  down  upon  the  bed  and  he  la- 
mented that  he  would  have  to  go  with  Death  that  was  coming 
for  him  from  the  god  of  the  Underworld,  and  he  lamented 
that  none  of  the  wretched  ones  around  the  palace  would  take 
his  place. 

A  hand  was  laid  upon  him.  He  looked  up  and  he  saw  his  tall 
and  grave-eyed  wife,  Alcestis,  beside  him.  Alcestis  spoke  to 
him  slowly  and  gravely.  "I  have  heard  what  you  have  said, 
O  my  husband,"  said  she.  "One  should  go  in  your  place,  for 
you  are  the  king  and  have  many  great  affairs  to  attend  to. 
And  if  none  other  will  go,  I,  Alcestis,  will  go  in  your  place, 
Admetus." 

It  had  seemed  to  Admetus  that  ever  since  he  had  heard  the 
words  of  Apollo  that  heavy  footsteps  were  coming  toward  him. 
Now  the  footsteps  seemed  to  stop.  It  was  not  so  terrible  for 
him  as  before.  He  sprang  up,  and  he  took  the  hands  of  Alcestis 
and  he  said,  "You,  then,  will  take  my  place?" 

"I  will  go  with  Death  in  your  place,  Admetus,"  Alcestis  said. 

Then,  even  as  Admetus  looked  into  her  face,  he  saw  a  pallor 
come  upon  her;  her  body  weakened  and  she  sank  down  upon 
the  bed.     Then,  watching  over  her,  he  knew  that  not  he  but 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  263 

Alcestis  would  go  with  Death.  And  the  words  he  had  spoken 
he  would  have  taken  back  —  the  words  that  had  brought  her 
consent  to  go  with  Death  in  his  place. 

Paler  and  weaker  Alcestis  grew.  Death  would  soon  be  here 
for  her.  No,  not  here,  for  he  would  not  have  Death  come  into 
the  palace.  He  lifted  Alcestis  from  the  bed  and  he  carried  her 
from  the  palace.  He  carried  her  to  the  temple  of  the  gods. 
He  laid  her  there  upon  the  bier  and  waited  there  beside  her. 
No  more  speech  came  from  her.  He  went  back  to  the  palace 
where  all  was  silent  —  the  servants  moved  about  with  heads 
bowed,  lamenting  silently  for  their  mistress. 

II 

As  Admetus  was  coming  back  from  the  temple  he  heard  a 
great  shout;  he  looked  up  and  saw  one  standing  at  the  palace 
doorway.  He  knew  him  by  his  lion's  skin  and  his  great  height. 
This  was  Heracles  —  Heracles  come  to  visit  him,  but  come  at  a 
sad  hour.  He  could  not  now  rejoice  in  the  company  of  Heracles. 
And  yet  Heracles  might  be  on  his  way  from  the  accomplish- 
ment of  some  great  labor,  and  it  would  not  be  right  to  say  a 
word  that  might  turn  him  away  from  his  doorway;  he  might 
have  much  need  of  rest  and  refreshment. 

Thinking  this  Admetus  went  up  to  Heracles  and  took  his 
hand  and  welcomed  him  into  his  house.  "How  is  it  with  you, 
friend  Admetus?"  Heracles  asked.     Admetus  would  only  say 


264  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

that  nothing  was  happening  in  his  house  and  that  Heracles,  his 
hero-companion,  was  welcome  there.  His  mind  was  upon  a  great 
sacrifice,  he  said,  and  so  he  would  not  be  able  to  feast  with  him. 

The  servants  brought  Heracles  to  the  bath,  and  then  showed 
him  where  a  feast  was  laid  for  him.  And  as  for  Admetus,  he 
went  within  the  chamber,  and  knelt  beside  the  bed  on  which 
Alcestis  had  lain,  and  thought  of  his  terrible  loss. 

Heracles,  after  the  bath,  put  on  the  brightly  colored  tunic 
that  the  servants  of  Admetus  brought  him.  He  put  a  wreath 
upon  his  head  and  sat  down  to  the  feast.  It  was  a  pity,  he 
thought,  that  Admetus  was  not  feasting  with  him.  But  this 
was  only  the  first  of  many  feasts.  And  thinking  of  what  com- 
panionship he  would  have  with  Admetus,  Heracles  left  the 
feasting  hall  and  came  to  where  the  servants  were  standing 
about  in  silence. 

"Why  is  the  house  of  Admetus  so  hushed  to-day?"  Heracles 
asked. 

"It  is  because  of  what  is  befalling,"  said  one  of  the  servants. 

"Ah,  the  sacrifice  that  the  king  is  making,"  said  Heracles. 
"To  what  god  is  that  sacrifice  due?" 

"To  the  god  of  the  Underworld,"  said  the  servant.  "Death 
is  coming  to  Alcestis  the  queen  where  she  lies  on  a  bier  in  the 
temple  of  the  gods." 

Then  the  servant  told  Heracles  the  story  of  how  Alcestis  had 
taken  her  husband's  place,  going  in  his  stead  with  Death.  Her- 
acles thought  upon  the  sorrow  of  his  friend,  and  of  the  great 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  265 

sacrifice  that  his  wife  was  making  for  him.  How  noble  it  was 
of  Admetus  to  bring  him  into  his  house  and  give  entertainment 
to  him  while  such  sorrow  was  upon  him.  And  then  Heracles 
felt  that  another  labor  was  before  him. 

"I  have  dragged  up  from  the  Underworld,"  he  thought, 
"the  hound  that  guards  those  whom  Death  brings  down  into 
the  realm  of  the  god  of  the  Underworld.  Why  should  I  not 
strive  with  Death?  And  what  a  noble  thing  it  would  be  to 
bring  back  this  faithful  woman  to  her  house  and  to  her  hus- 
band! This  is  a  labor  that  has  not  been  laid  upon  me,  and 
it  is  a  labor  I  will  undertake."    So  Heracles  said  to  himself. 

He  left  the  palace  of  Admetus  and  he  went  to  the  temple  of 
the  gods.  He  stood  inside  the  temple  and  he  saw  the  bier  on 
which  Alcestis  was  laid.  He  looked  upon  the  queen.  Death 
had  not  touched  her  yet,  although  she  lay  so  still  and  so  silent. 
Heracles  would  watch  beside  her  and  strive  with  Death  for  her. 

Heracles  watched  and  Death  came.  When  Death  entered  the 
temple  Heracles  laid  hands  upon  him.  Death  had  never  been 
gripped  by  mortal  hands  and  he  strode  on  as  if  that  grip  meant 
nothing  to  him.  But  then  he  had  to  grip  Heracles.  In  Death's 
grip  there  was  a  strength  beyond  strength.  And  upon  Heracles 
a  dreadful  sense  of  loss  came  as  Death  laid  hands  upon  him  — 
a  sense  of  the  loss  of  light  and  the  loss  of  breath  and  the  loss 
of  movement.  But  Heracles  struggled  with  Death  although  his 
breath  went  and  his  strength  seemed  to  go  from  him.  He  held 
that  stony  body  to  him,  and  the  cold  of  that  body  went  through 


266  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

him,  and  its  stoniness  seemed  to  turn  his  bones  to  stone,  but 
still  Heracles  strove  with  him,  and  at  last  he  overthrew  him 
and  he  held  Death  down  upon  the  ground. 

"Now  you  are  held  by  me,  Death,"  cried  Heracles.  "You  are 
held  by  me,  and  the  god  of  the  Underworld  will  be  made 
angry  because  you  cannot  go  about  his  business  —  either  this 
business  or  any  other  business.  You  are  held  by  me,  Death, 
and  you  will  not  be  let  go  unless  you  promise  to  go  forth  from 
this  temple  without  bringing  one  with  you."  And  Death, 
knowing  that  Heracles  could  hold  him  there,  and  that  the  busi- 
ness of  the  god  of  the  Underworld  would  be  left  undone  if 
he  were  held,  promised  that  he  would  leave  the  temple  without 
bringing  one  with  him.  Then  Heracles  took  his  grip  off  Death, 
and  that  stony  shape  went  from  the  temple. 

Soon  a  flush  came  into  the  face  of  Alcestis  as  Heracles  watched 
over  her.  Soon  she  arose  from  the  bier  on  which  she  had  been 
laid.  She  called  out  to  Admetus,  and  Heracles  went  to  her 
and  spoke  to  her,  telling  her  that  he  would  bring  her  back  to  her 
husband's  house. 

in 

Admetus  left  the  chamber  where  his  wife  had  lain  and  stood 
before  the  door  of  his  palace.  Dawn  was  coming,  and  as  he 
looked  toward  the  temple  he  saw  Heracles  coming  to  the  palace. 
A  woman  came  with  him.  She  was  veiled,  and  Admetus  could 
not  see  her  features. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  267 

"Admetus,"  Heracles  said,  when  he  came  before  him,  "  Adme- 
tus,  there  is  something  I  would  have  you  do  for  me.  Here  is 
a  woman  whom  I  am  bringing  back  to  her  husband.  I  won 
her  from  an  enemy.  Will  you  not  take  her  into  your  house 
while  I  am  away  on  a  journey?" 

"You  cannot  ask  me  to  do  this,  Heracles,"  said  Admetus. 
"No  woman  may  come  into  the  house  where  Alcestis,  only 
yesterday,  had  her  life." 

"For  my  sake  take  her  into  your  house,"  said  Heracles. 
"Come  now,  Admetus,  take  this  woman  by  the  hand." 

A  pang  came  to  Admetus  as  he  looked  at  the  woman  who 
stood  beside  Heracles  and  saw  that  she  was  the  same  stature 
as  his  lost  wife.  He  thought  that  he  could  not  bear  to  take 
her  hand.  But  Heracles  pleaded  with  him,  and  he  took  her 
by  the  hand. 

"Now  take  her  across  your  threshold,  Admetus,"  said  Her- 
acles. 

Hardly  could  Admetus  bear  to  do  this  —  hardly  could  he 
bear  to  think  of  a  strange  woman  being  in  his  house  and  his 
own  wife  gone  with  Death.  But  Heracles  pleaded  with  him, 
and  by  the  hand  he  held  he  drew  the  woman  across  his  threshold. 

"Now  raise  her  veil,  Admetus,"  said  Heracles. 

"This  I  cannot  do,"  said  Admetus.  "I  have  had  pangs 
enough.  How  can  I  look  upon  a  woman's  face  and  remind 
myself  that  I  cannot  look  upon  Alcestis's  face  ever  again?" 

"Raise  her  veil,  Admetus,"  said  Heracles. 


268  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

Then  Admetus  raised  the  veil  of  the  woman  he  had  taken 
across  the  threshold  of  his  house.  He  saw  the  face  of  Alcestis. 
He  looked  again  upon  his  wife  brought  back  from  the  grip  of 
Death  by  Heracles,  the  son  of  Zeus.  And  then  a  deeper  joy 
than  he  had  ever  known  came  to  Admetus.  Once  more  his  wife 
was  with  him,  and  Admetus  the  friend  of  Apollo  and  the  friend 
of  Heracles  had  all  that  he  cared  to  have. 


VI.    HOW  ORPHEUS  THE  MINSTREL  WENT 
DOWN  TO  THE  WORLD  OF  THE  DEAD 

ANY  were  the  minstrels  who,  in  the  early 
days,  went  through  the  world,  telling  to 
men  the  stories  of  the  gods,  telling  of  their 
wars  and  their  births.  Of  all  these  min- 
strels none  was  so  famous  as  Orpheus 
who  had  gone  with  the  Argonauts;  none 
could  tell  truer  things  about  the  gods,  for 
he  himself  was  half  divine. 

But  a  great  grief  came  to  Orpheus,  a  grief  that  stopped  his 
singing  and  his  playing  upon  the  lyre.  His  young  wife  Eurydice 
was  taken  from  him.  One  day,  walking  in  the  garden,  she  was 
bitten  on  the  heel  by  a  serpent,  and  straightway  she  went  down 
to  the  world  of  the  dead. 

Then  everything  in  this  world  was  dark  and  bitter  for  the 


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THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  269 

minstrel  Orpheus;  sleep  would  not  come  to  him,  and  for  him 
food  had  no  taste.  Then  Orpheus  said:  "I  will  do  that  which 
no  mortal  has  ever  done  before;  I  will  do  that  which  even  the 
immortals  might  shrink  from  doing:  I  will  go  down  into  the 
world  of  the  dead,  and  I  will  bring  back  to  the  living  and  to  the 
light  my  bride  Eurydice." 

Then  Orpheus  went  on  his  way  to  the  valley  of  Acherusia  which 
goes  down,  down  into  the  world  of  the  dead.  He  would  never 
have  found  his  way  to  that  valley  if  the  trees  had  not  shown 
him  the  way.  For  as  he  went  along  Orpheus  played  upon  his 
lyre  and  sang,  and  the  trees  heard  his  song  and  they  were  moved 
by  his  grief,  and  with  their  arms  and  their  heads  they  showed 
him  the  way  to  the  deep,  deep  valley  of  Acherusia. 

Down,  down  by  winding  paths  through  that  deepest  and  most 
shadowy  of  all  valleys  Orpheus  went.  He  came  at  last  to  the 
great  gate  that  opens  upon  the  world  of  the  dead.  And  the 
silent  guards  who  keep  watch  there  for  the  rulers  of  the  dead 
were  affrighted  when  they  saw  a  living  being,  and  they  would 
not  let  Orpheus  approach  the  gate. 

But  the  minstrel,  knowing  the  reason  for  their  fear,  said: 
"I  am  not  Heracles  come  again  to  drag  up  from  the  world  of  the 
dead  your  three-headed  dog  Cerberus.  I  am  Orpheus,  and  all 
that  my  hands  can  do  is  to  make  music  upon  my  lyre." 

And  then  he  took  the  lyre  in  his  hands  and  played  upon  it. 
As  he  played,  the  silent  watchers  gathered  around  him,  leaving 
the  gate  unguarded.     And  as  he  played  the  rulers  of  the  dead 


2j o  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

came  forth,  Aidoneus  and  Persephone,  and  listened  to  the  words 
of  the  living  man. 

"The  cause  of  my  coming  through  the  dark  and  fearful  ways," 
sang  Orpheus,  "is  to  strive  to  gain  a  fairer  fate  for  Eurydice, 
my  bride.  All  that  is  above  must  come  down  to  you  at  last, 
0  rulers  of  the  most  lasting  world.  But  before  her  time  has 
Eurydice  been  brought  here.  I  have  desired  strength  to  endure 
her  loss,  but  I  cannot  endure  it.  And  I  come  before  you, 
Aidoneus  and  Persephone,  brought  here  by  Love." 

When  Orpheus  said  the  name  of  Love,  Persephone,  the  queen 
of  the  dead,  bowed  her  young  head,  and  bearded  Aidoneus,  the 
king,  bowed  his  head  also.  Persephone  remembered  how  De- 
meter,  her  mother,  had  sought  her  all  through  the  world,  and 
she  remembered  the  touch  of  her  mother's  tears  upon  her  face. 
And  Aidoneus  remembered  how  his  love  for  Persephone  had  led 
him  to  carry  her  away  from  the  valley  in  the  upper  world  where 
she  had  been  gathering  flowers.  He  and  Persephone  bowed 
their  heads  and  stood  aside,  and  Orpheus  went  through  the 
gate  and  came  amongst  the  dead. 

Still  upon  his  lyre  he  played.  Tantalus  —  who,  for  his  crimes, 
had  been  condemned  to  stand  up  to  his  neck  in  water  and  yet 
never  be  able  to  assuage  his  thirst  —  Tantalus  heard,  and  for  a 
while  did  not  strive  to  put  his  lips  toward  the  water  that  ever 
flowed  away  from  him;  Sisyphus  —  who  had  been  condemned 
to  roll  up  a  hill  a  stone  that  ever  rolled  back  —  Sisyphus  heard 
the  music  that  Orpheus  played,  and  for  a  while  he  sat  still 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  271 

upon  his  stone.  And  even  those  dread  ones  who  bring  to  the 
dead  the  memories  of  all  their  crimes  and  all  their  faults,  even 
the  Eumenides  had  their  cheeks  wet  with  tears. 

In  the  throng  of  the  newly  come  dead  Orpheus  saw  Eurydice. 
She  looked  upon  her  husband,  but  she  had  not  the  power  to 
come  near  him.  But  slowly  she  came  when  Aidoneus  called  her. 
Then  with  joy  Orpheus  took  her  hands. 

It  would  be  granted  them  —  no  mortal  ever  gained  such 
privilege  before  —  to  leave,  both  together,  the  world  of  the  dead, 
and  to  abide  for  another  space  in  the  world  of  the  living.  One 
condition  there  would  be  —  that  on  their  way  up  through  the 
valley  of  Acherusia  neither  Orpheus  nor  Eurydice  should  look 
back. 

They  went  through  the  gate  and  came  amongst  the  watchers 
that  are  around  the  portals.  These  showed  them  the  path  that 
went  up  through  the  valley  of  Acherusia.  That  way  they  went, 
Orpheus  and  Eurydice,  he  going  before  her. 

Up  and  up  through  the  darkened  ways  they  went,  Orpheus 
knowing  that  Eurydice  was  behind  him,  but  never  looking  back 
upon  her.  But  as  he  went,  his  heart  was  rilled  with  things  to 
tell  —  how  the  trees  were  blossoming  in  the  garden  she  had  left; 
how  the  water  was  sparkling  in  the  fountain;  how  the  doors  of 
the  house  stood  open,  and  how  they,  sitting  together,  would 
watch  the  sunlight  on  the  laurel  bushes.  All  these  things  were 
in  his  heart  to  tell  her,  to  tell  her  who  came  behind  him,  silent 
and  unseen. 


272  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

And  now  they  were  nearing  the  place  where  the  valley  of 
Acherusia  opened  on  the  world  of  the  living.  Orpheus  looked  on 
the  blue  of  the  sky.  A  white-winged  bird  flew  by.  Orpheus 
turned  around  and  cried,  "O  Eurydice,  look  upon  the  world 
that  I  have  won  you  back  to!" 

He  turned  to  say  this  to  her.  He  saw  her  with  her  long 
dark  hair  and  pale  face.  He  held  out  his  arms  to  clasp  her. 
But  in  that  instant  she  slipped  back  into  the  depths  of  the 
valley.  And  all  he  heard  spoken  was  a  single  word,  "  Fare- 
well !"  Long,  long  had  it  taken  Eurydice  to  climb  so  far,  but 
in  the  moment  of  his  turning  around  she  had  fallen  back  to  her 
place  amongst  the  dead. 

Down  through  the  valley  of  Acherusia  Orpheus  went  again. 
Again  he  came  before  the  watchers  of  the  gate.  But  now  he 
was  not  looked  at  nor  listened  to,  and,  hopeless,  he  had  to  re- 
turn to  the  world  of  the  living. 

The  birds  were  his  friends  now,  and  the  trees  and  the  stones. 
The  birds  flew  around  him  and  mourned  with  him;  the  trees 
and  stones  often  followed  him,  moved  by  the  music  of  his  lyre. 
But  a  savage  band  slew  Orpheus  and  threw  his  severed  head 
and  his  lyre  into  the  River  Hebrus.  It  is  said  by  the  poets  that 
while  they  floated  in  midstream  the  lyre  gave  out  some  mourn- 
ful notes  and  the  head  of  Orpheus  answered  the  notes  with  song. 

And  now  that  he  was  no  longer  to  be  counted  with  the  living, 
Orpheus  went  down  to  the  world  of  the  dead,  not  going  now 
by  that  steep  descent  through  the  valley  of  Acherusia,  but  going 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  273 

down  straightway.  The  silent  watchers  let  him  pass,  and  he 
went  amongst  the  dead  and  saw  his  Eurydice  in  the  throng. 
Again  they  were  together,  Orpheus  and  Eurydice,  and  as  they 
went  through  the  place  that  King  Aidoneus  ruled  over,  they  had 
no  fear  of  looking  back,  one  upon  the  other. 


VII.   JASON  AND  MEDEA 

'ASON  and  Medea,  unable  to  win  to  Iolcus, 
stayed  at  Corinth,  at  the  court  of  King 
Creon.  Creon  was  proud  to  have  Jason  in 
his  city,  but  of  Medea  the  king  was  fear- 
ful, for  he  had  heard  how  she  had  brought 
about  the  death  of  Apsyrtus,  her  brother. 
Medea  wearied  of  this  long  waiting  in 
the  palace  of  King  Creon.  A  longing  came  upon  her  to  exer- 
cise her  powers  of  enchantment.  She  did  not  forget  what 
Queen  Arete  had  said  to  her  —  that  if  she  wished  to  appease 
the  wrath  of  the  gods  she  should  have  no  more  to  do  with 
enchantments.  She  did  not  forget  this,  but  still  there  grew  in 
her  a  longing  to  use  all  her  powers  of  enchantment. 

And  Jason,  at  the  court  of  King  Creon,  had  his  longings,  too. 
He  longed  to  enter  Iolcus  and  to  show  the  people  the  Golden 
Fleece  that  he  had  won;   he  longed  to  destroy  Pelias,  the  mur- 


274  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

derer  of  his  mother  and  father;  above  all  he  longed  to  be  a 
king,  and  to  rule  in  the  kingdom  that  Cretheus  had  founded. 

Once  Jason  spoke  to  Medea  of  his  longing.  "  O  Jason,"  Medea 
said,  I  have  done  many  things  for  thee  and  this  thing  also  I 
will  do.  I  will  go  into  Iolcus,  and  by  my  enchantments  I  will 
make  clear  the  way  for  the  return  of  the  Argo  and  for  thy 
return  with  thy  comrades  —  yea,  and  for  thy  coming  to  the 
kingship,  0  Jason." 

He  should  have  remembered  then  the  words  of  Queen  Arete 
to  Medea,  but  the  longing  that  he  had  for  his  triumph  and  his 
revenge  was  in  the  way  of  his  remembering.  He  said,  "  O  Medea, 
help  me  in  this  with  all  thine  enchantments  and  thou  wilt  be 
more  dear  to  me  than  ever  before  thou  wert." 

Medea  then  went  forth  from  the  palace  of  King  Creon  and 
she  made  more  terrible  spells  than  ever  she  had  made  in  Colchis. 
All  night  she  stayed  in  a  tangled  place  weaving  her  spells. 
Dawn  came,  and  she  knew  that  the  spells  she  had  woven  had 
not  been  in  vain,  for  beside  her  there  stood  a  car  that  was 
drawn  by  dragons. 

Medea  the  Enchantress  had  never  looked  on  these  dragon 
shapes  before.  When  she  looked  upon  them  now  she  was  fear- 
ful of  them.  But  then  she  said  to  herself,  "I  am  Medea,  and 
I  would  be  a  greater  enchantress  and  a  more  cunning  woman 
than  I  have  been,  and  what  I  have  thought  of,  that  will  I  carry 
out."  She  mounted  the  car  drawn  by  the  dragons,  and  in  the 
first  light  of  the  day  she  went  from  Corinth. 


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THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  275 

To  the  places  where  grew  the  herbs  of  magic  Medea  journeyed 
in  her  dragon-drawn  car  —  to  the  Mountains  Ossa,  Pelion, 
(Ethrys,  Pindus,  and  Olympus;  then  to  the  rivers  Apidanus, 
Enipeus,  and  Peneus.  She  gathered  herbs  on  the  mountains 
and  grasses  on  the  rivers'  banks;  some  she  plucked  up  by  the 
roots  and  some  she  cut  with  the  curved  blade  of  a  knife. 
When  she  had  gathered  these  herbs  and  grasses  she  went 
back  to  Corinth  on  her  dragon-drawn  car. 

Then  Jason  saw  her;  pale  and  drawn  was  her  face,  and  her 
eyes  were  strange  and  gleaming.  He  saw  her  standing  by  the 
car  drawn  by  the  dragons,  and  a  terror  of  Medea  came  into  his 
mind.  He  went  toward  her,  but  in  a  harsh  voice  she  bade 
him  not  come  near  to  disturb  the  brewing  that  she  was  going 
to  begin.  Jason  turned  away.  As  he  went  toward  the  palace 
he  saw  Glauce,  King  Creon's  daughter;  the  maiden  was  coming 
from  the  well  and  she  carried  a  pitcher  of  water.  He  thought 
how  fair  Glauce  looked  in  the  light  of  the  morning,  how  the 
wind  played  with  her  hair  and  her  garments,  and  how  far  away 
she  was  from  witcheries  and  enchantments. 

As  for  Medea,  she  placed  in  a  heap  beside  her  the  magic 
herbs  and  grasses  she  had  gathered.  Then  she  put  them  in 
a  bronze  pot  and  boiled  them  in  water  from  the  stream.  Soon 
froth  came  on  the  boiling,  and  Medea  stirred  the  pot  with  a 
withered  branch  of  an  apple  tree.  The  branch  was  withered  — 
it  was  indeed  no  more  than  a  dry  stick,  but  as  she  stirred  the 
herbs  and  grasses  with  it,  first  leaves,  then  flowers,  and  lastly, 


276  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

bright  gleaming  apples  came  on  it.  And  when  the  pot  boiled 
over  and  drops  from  it  fell  upon  the  ground,  there  grew  up  out 
of  the  dry  earth  soft  grasses  and  flowers.  Such  was  the  power 
of  renewal  that  was  in  the  magical  brew  that  Medea  had  made. 

She  filled  a  phial  with  the  liquid  she  had  brewed,  and  she 
scattered  the  rest  in  the  wild  places  of  the  garden.  Then, 
taking  the  phial  and  the  apples  that  had  grown  on  the  withered 
branch,  she  mounted  the  car  drawn  by  the  dragons,  and  she  went 
once  more  from  Corinth. 

On  she  journeyed  in  her  dragon-drawn  car  until  she  came  to 
a  place  that  was  near  to  Iolcus.  There  the  dragons  descended. 
They  had  come  to  a  dark  pool.  Medea,  making  herself  naked, 
stood  in  that  dark  pool.  For  a  while  she  looked  down  upon 
herself,  seeing  in  the  dark  water  her  white  body  and  her  lovely 
hair.  Then  she  bathed  herself  in  the  water.  Soon  a  dread 
change  came  over  her:  she  saw  her  hair  become  scant  and 
gray,  and  she  saw  her  body  become  bent  and  withered.  She 
stepped  out  of  the  pool  a  withered  and  witchlike  woman;  when 
she  dressed  herself  the  rich  clothes  that  she  had  worn  before 
hung  loosely  upon  her,  and  she  looked  the  more  forbidding 
because  of  them.  She  bade  the  dragons  go,  and  they  flew 
through  the  air  with  the  empty  car.  Then  she  hid  in  her  dress 
the  phial  with  the  liquid  she  had  brewed  and  the  apples  that 
had  grown  upon  the  withered  branch.  She  picked  up  a  stick 
to  lean  upon,  and  with  the  gait  of  an  ancient  woman  she  went 
hobbling  upon  the  road  to  Iolcus. 


THE  HEROES   OF  THE  QUEST  277 

On  the  streets  of  the  city  the  fierce  fighting  men  that  Pelias 
had  brought  down  from  the  mountains  showed  themselves;  few 
of  the  men  or  women  of  the  city  showed  themselves  even  in  the 
daytime.  Medea  went  through  the  city  and  to  the  palace  of 
King  Pelias.  But  no  one  might  enter  there,  and  the  guards 
laid  hands  upon  her  and  held  her. 

Medea  did  not  struggle  with  them.  She  drew  from  the  folds 
of  her  dress  one  of  the  gleaming  apples  that  she  carried  and 
she  gave  it  to  one  of  the  guards.  "It  is  for  King  Pelias,"  she 
said.  "Give  the  apple  to  him  and  then  do  with  me  as  the  king 
would  have  you  do." 

The  guards  brought  the  gleaming  apple  to  the  king.  When 
he  had  taken  it  into  his  hand  and  had  smelled  its  fragrance, 
old  trembling  Pelias  asked  where  the  apple  had  come  from. 
The  guards  told  him  it  had  been  brought  by  an  ancient 
woman  who  was  now  outside  seated  on  a  stone  in  the  court- 
yard. 

He  looked  on  the  shining  apple  and  he  felt  its  fragrance  and 
he  could  not  help  thinking,  old  trembling  Pelias,  that  this  apple 
might  be  the  means  of  bringing  him  back  to  the  fullness  of  health 
and  courage  that  he  had  had  before.  He  sent  for  the  ancient 
woman  who  had  brought  it  that  she  might  tell  him  where  it 
had  come  from  and  who  it  was  that  had  sent  it  to  him.  Then 
the  guards  brought  Medea  before  him. 

She  saw  an  old  man,  white-faced  and  trembling,  with  shaking 
hands  and  eyes  that  looked  on  her  fearfully.     "Who  are  you," 


278  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

he  asked,  "and  from  whence  came  the  apple  that  you  had  them 
bring  me?" 

Medea,  standing  before  him,  looked  a  withered  and  shrunken 
beldame,  a  woman  bent  with  years,  but  yet  with  eyes  that  were 
bright  and  living.  She  came  near  him  and  she  said:  "The 
apple,  0  King,  came  from  the  garden  that  is  watched  over  by 
the  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land.  He  who  eats  it  has  a  little 
of  the  weight  of  old  age  taken  from  him.  But  things  more  won- 
derful even  than  the  shining  apples  grow  in  that  far  garden. 
There  are  plants  there  the  juices  of  which  make  youthful  again 
all  aged  and  failing  things.  The  apple  would  bring  you  a  little 
way  toward  the  vigor  of  your  prime.  But  the  juices  I  have  can 
bring  you  to  a  time  more  wonderful  —  back  even  to  the  strength 
and  the  glory  of  your  youth. " 

When  the  king  heard  her  say  this  a  light  came  into  his  heavy 
eyes,  and  his  hands  caught  Medea  and  drew  her  to  him.  "Who 
are  you?"  he  cried,  "who  speak  of  the  garden  watched  over 
by  the  Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land?  Who  are  you  who  speak 
of  juices  that  can  bring  back  one  to  the  strength  and  glory  of 
his  youth?" 

Medea  answered:  "I  am  a  woman  who  has  known  many  and 
great  griefs,  0  king.  My  griefs  have  brought  me  through  the 
world.  Many  have  searched  for  the  garden  watched  over  by  the 
Daughters  of  the  Evening  Land,  but  I  came  to  it  unthinkingly, 
and  without  wanting  them  I  gathered  the  gleaming  apples  and 
took  from  the  plants  there  the  juices  that  can  bring  youth  back." 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  279 

Pelias  said:  "If  you  have  been  able  to  come  by  those  juices, 
how  is  it  that  you  remain  in  woeful  age  and  decrepitude?" 

She  said:  " Because  of  my  many  griefs,  king,  I  would  not 
renew  my  life.  I  would  be  ever  nearer  death  and  the  end  of 
all  things.  But  you  are  a  king  and  have  all  things  you  desire 
at  your  hand  —  beauty  and  state  and  power.  Surely  if  any  one 
would  desire  it,  you  would  desire  to  have  youth  back  to  you." 

Pelias,  when  he  heard  her  say  this,  knew  that  besides  youth 
there  was  nothing  that  he  desired.  After  crimes  that  had  gone 
through  the  whole  of  his  manhood  he  had  secured  for  himself 
the  kingdom  that  Cretheus  had  founded.  But  old  age  had 
come  on  him,  and  the  weakness  of  old  age,  and  the  power  he 
had  won  was  falling  from  his  hands.  He  would  be  overthrown 
in  his  weakness,  or  else  he  would  soon  come  to  die,  and  there 
would  be  an  end  then  to  his  name  and  to  his  kingship. 

How  fortunate  above  all  kings  he  would  be,  he  thought,  if  it 
could  be  that  some  one  should  come  to  him  with  juices  that 
would  renew  his  youth!  He  looked  longingly  into  the  eyes  of 
the  ancient-seeming  woman  before  him,  and  he  said:  "How 
is  it  that  you  show  no  gains  from  the  juices  that  you  speak  of? 
You  are  old  and  in  woeful  decrepitude.  Even  if  you  would 
not  win  back  to  youth  you  could  have  got  riches  and  state  for 
that  which  you  say  you  possess." 

Then  Medea  said:  "I  have  lost  so  much  and  have  suffered 
so  much  that  I  would  not  have  youth  back  at  the  price  of  facing 
the  years.     I  would  sink  down  to  the  quiet  of  the  grave.     But 


280  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

I  hope  for  some  ease  before  I  die  —  for  the  ease  that  is  in  king's 
houses,  with  good  food  to  eat,  and  rest,  and  servants  to  wait 
upon  one's  aged  body.  These  are  the  things  I  desire,  O  Pelias, 
even  as  you  desire  youth.  You  can  give  me  such  things,  and  I 
have  come  to  you  who  desire  youth  eagerly  rather  than  to  kings 
who  have  a  less  eager  desire  for  it.  To  you  I  will  give  the  juices 
that  bring  one  back  to  the  strength  and  the  glory  of  youth." 

Pelias  said:  "I  have  only  your  word  for  it  that  you  possess 
these  juices.  Many  there  are  who  come  and  say  deceiving 
things  to  a  king." 

Said  Medea:  "Let  there  be  no  more  words  between  us,  0 
king.  To-morrow  I  will  show  you  the  virtue  of  the  juices  I 
have  brought  with  me.  Have  a  great  vat  prepared  —  a  vat 
that  a  man  could  lay  himself  in  with  the  water  covering 
him.  Have  this  vat  filled  with  water,  and  bring  to  it  the  oldest 
creature  you  can  get  —  a  ram  or  a  goat  that  is  the  oldest  of 
their  flock.  Do  this,  0  king,  and  you  will  be  shown  a  thing  to 
wonder  at  and  to  be  hopeful  over." 

So  Medea  said,  and  then  she  turned  around  and  left  the 
king's  presence.  Pelias  called  to  his  guards  and  he  bade  them 
take  the  woman  into  their  charge  and  treat  her  considerately. 
The  guards  took  Medea  away.  Then  all  day  the  king  mused 
on  what  had  been  told  him  and  a  wild  hope  kept  beating  about 
his  heart.  He  had  the  servants  prepare  a  great  vat  in  the  lower 
chambers,  and  he  had  his  shepherd  bring  him  a  ram  that  was 
the  oldest  in  the  flock. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  281 

Only  Medea  was  permitted  to  come  into  that  chamber  with 
the  king;  the  ways  to  it  were  guarded,  and  all  that  took  place 
in  it  was  secret.  Medea  was  brought  to  the  closed  door  by 
her  guard.  She  opened  it  and  she  saw  the  king  there  and  the 
vat  already  prepared;   she  saw  a  ram  tethered  near  the  vat. 

Medea  looked  upon  the  king.  In  the  light  of  the  torches  his 
face  was  white  and  fierce  and  his  mouth  moved  gaspingly. 
She  spoke  to  him  quietly,  and  said:  " There  is  no  need  for  you 
to  hear  me  speak.  You  will  watch  a  great  miracle,  for  behold! 
the  ram  which  is  the  oldest  and  feeblest  in  the  flock  will  be- 
come young  and  invigorated  when  it  comes  forth  from  this  vat." 

She  untethered  the  ram,  and  with  the  help  of  Pelias  drew  it 
to  the  vat.  This  was  not  hard  to  do,  for  the  beast  was  very 
feeble;  its  feet  could  hardly  bear  it  upright,  its  wool  was  yellow 
and  stayed  only  in  patches  on  its  shrunken  body.  Easily  the 
beast  was  forced  into  the  vat.  Then  Medea  drew  the  phial  out 
of  her  bosom  and  poured  into  the  water  some  of  the  brew  she 
had  made  in  Creon's  garden  in  Corinth.  The  water  in  the  vat 
took  on  a  strange  bubbling,  and  the  ram  sank  down. 

Then  Medea,  standing  beside  the  vat,  sang  an  incantation. 

"O  Earth,"  she  sang,  "0  Earth  who  dost  provide  wise  men 
with  potent  herbs,  O  Earth  help  me  now.  I  am  she  who  can 
drive  the  clouds;  I  am  she  who  can  dispel  the  winds;  I  am  she 
who  can  break  the  jaws  of  serpents  with  my  incantations;  I 
am  she  who  can  uproot  living  trees  and  rocks;  who  can  make 
the  mountains  shake;    who  can  bring  the  ghosts  from  their 


282  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 

tombs.  0  Earth,  help  me  now."  At  this  strange  incantation 
the  mixture  in  the  vat  boiled  and  bubbled  more  and  more. 
Then  the  boiling  and  bubbling  ceased.  Up  to  the  surface  came 
the  ram.  Medea  helped  it  to  struggle  out  of  the  vat,  and 
then  it  turned  and  smote  the  vat  with  its  head. 

Pelias  took  down  a  torch  and  stood  before  the  beast.  Vigo- 
rous indeed  was  the  ram,  and  its  wool  was  white  and  grew  evenly 
upon  it.  They  could  not  tether  it  again,  and  when  the  servants 
were  brought  into  the  chamber  it  took  two  of  them  to  drag 
away  the  ram. 

The  king  was  most  eager  to  enter  the  vat  and  have  Medea 
put  in  the  brew  and  speak  the  incantation  over  it.  But  Medea 
bade  him  wait  until  the  morrow.  All  night  the  king  lay  awake, 
thinking  of  how  he  might  regain  his  youth  and  his  strength  and 
be  secure  and  triumphant  thereafter. 

At  the  first  light  he  sent  for  Medea  and  he  told  her  that  he 
would  have  the  vat  made  ready  and  that  he  would  go  into  it 
that  night.  Medea  looked  upon  him,  and  the  helplessness  that 
he  showed  made  her  want  to  work  a  greater  evil  upon  him,  or, 
if  not  upon  him,  upon  his  house.  How  soon  it  would  have 
reached  its  end,  all  her  plot  for  the  destruction  of  this  king! 
But  she  would  leave  in  the  king's  house  a  misery  that  would 
not  have  an  end  so  soon. 

So  she  said  to  the  king:  "I  would  say  the  incantation  over  a 
beast  of  the  field,  but  over  a  king  I  could  not  say  it.  Let  those 
of  your  own  blood  be  with  you  when  you  enter  the  vat  that 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  283 

will  bring  such  change  to  you.  Have  your  daughters  there. 
I  will  give  them  the  juice  to  mix  in  the  vat,  and  I  will  teach  them 
the  incantation  that  has  to  be  said." 

So  she  said,  and  she  made  Pelias  consent  to  having  his  daughters 
and  not  Medea  in  the  chamber  of  the  vat.  They  were  sent  for 
and  they  came  before  Medea,  the  daughters  of  King  Pelias. 

They  were  women  who  had  been  borne  down  by  the  tyranny 
of  their  father;  they  stood  before  him  now,  two  dim-eyed  crea- 
tures, very  feeble  and  fearful.  To  them  Medea  gave  the  phial 
that  had  in  it  the  liquid  to  mix  in  the  vat;  also  she  taught 
them  the  words  of  the  incantation,  but  she  taught  them  to  use 
these  words  wrongly. 

The  vat  was  prepared  in  the  lower  chambers;  Pelias  and  his 
daughters  went  there,  and  the  chamber  was  guarded,  and  what 
happened  there  was  in  secret.  Pelias  went  into  the  vat;  the 
brew  was  thrown  into  it,  and  the  vat  boiled  and  bubbled  as 
before.  Pelias  sank  down  in  it.  Over  him  then  his  daughters 
said  the  magic  words  as  Medea  had  taught  them. 

Pelias  sank  down,  but  he  did  not  rise  again.  The  hours  went 
past  and  the  morning  came,  and  the  daughters  of  King  Pelias 
raised  frightened  laments.  Over  the  sides  of  the  vat  the  mix- 
ture boiled  and  bubbled,  and  Pelias  was  to  be  seen  at  the  bot- 
tom with  his  limbs  stiffened  in  death. 

Then  the  guards  came,  and  they  took  King  Pelias  out  of  the 
vat  and  left  him  in  his  royal  chamber.  The  word  went  through 
the  palace  that  the  king  was  dead.    There  was  a  hush  in  the 


284  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

palace  then,  but  not  the  hush  of  grief.  One  by  one  servants 
and  servitors  stole  away  from  the  palace  that  was  hated  by  all. 
Then  there  was  clatter  in  the  streets  as  the  fierce  righting  men 
from  the  mountains  galloped  away  with  what  plunder  they 
could  seize.  And  through  all  this  the  daughters  of  King  Pelias 
sat  crouching  in  fear  above  the  body  of  their  father. 

And  Medea,  still  an  ancient  woman  seemingly,  went  through 
the  crowds  that  now  came  on  the  streets  of  the  city.  She  told 
those  she  went  amongst  that  the  son  of  i^son  was  alive  and 
would  soon  be  in  their  midst.  Hearing  this  the  men  of  the 
city  formed  a  council  of  elders  to  rule  the  people  until  Jason's 
coming.  In  such  way  Medea  brought  about  the  end  of  King 
Pelias's  reign. 

In  triumph  she  went  through  the  city.  But  as  she  was  pass- 
ing the  temple  her  dress  was  caught  and  held,  and  turning 
around  she  faced  the  ancient  priestess  of  Artemis,  Iphias.  "  Thou 
art  ^Eetes's  daughter,"  Iphias  said,  "who  in  deceit  didst  come 
into  Iolcus.  Woe  to  thee  and  woe  to  Jason  for  what  thou  hast 
done  this  day!  Not  for  the  slaying  of  Pelias  art  thou  blame- 
worthy, but  for  the  misery  that  thou  hast  brought  upon  his 
daughters  by  bringing  them  into  the  guilt  of  the  slaying.  Go 
from  the  city,  daughter  of  King  ^Eetes;  never,  never  wilt  thou 
come  back  into  it." 

But  little  heed  did  Medea  pay  to  the  ancient  priestess,  Iphias. 
Still  in  the  guise  of  an  old  woman  she  went  through  the  streets 
of  the  city,  and  out  through  the  gate  and  along  the  highway 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  285 

that  led  from  Iolcus.  To  that  dark  pool  she  came  where  she 
had  bathed  herself  before.  But  now  she  did  not  step  into  the 
pool  nor  pour  its  water  over  her  shrinking  flesh;  instead  she 
built  up  two  altars  of  green  sods  —  an  altar  to  Youth  and  an 
altar  to  Hecate,  queen  of  the  witches;  she  wreathed  them  with 
green  boughs  from  the  forest,  and  she  prayed  before  each.  Then 
she  made  herself  naked,  and  she  anointed  herself  with  the  brew 
she  had  made  from  the  magical  herbs  and  grasses.  All  marks 
of  age  and  decrepitude  left  her,  and  when  she  stood  over  the  dark 
pool  and  looked  down  on  herself  she  saw  that  her  body  was  white 
and  shapely  as  before,  and  that  her  hair  was  soft  and  lovely. 

She  stayed  all  night  between  the  tangled  wood  and  the  dark 
pool,  and  with  the  first  light  the  car  drawn  by  the  scaly  dragons 
came  to  her.  She  mounted  the  car,  and  she  journeyed  back  to 
Corinth. 

Into  Jason's  mind  a  fear  of  Medea  had  come  since  the  hour 
when  he  had  seen  her  mount  the  car  drawn  by  the  scaly  dragons. 
He  could  not  think  of  her  any  more  as  the  one  who  had  been 
his  companion  on  the  Argo.  He  thought  of  her  as  one  who  could 
help  him  and  do  wonderful  things  for  him,  but  not  as  one  whom 
he  could  talk  softly  and  lovingly  to.  Ah,  but  if  Jason  had  thought 
less  of  his  kingdom  and  less  of  his  triumphing  with  the  Fleece  of 
Gold,  Medea  would  not  have  had  the  dragons  come  to  her. 

And  now  that  his  love  for  Medea  had  altered,  Jason  noted  the 
loveliness  of  another  —  of  Glauce,  the  daughter  of  Creon,  the 


286  THE   GOLDEN  FLEECE 

King  of  Corinth.  And  Glauce,  who  had  red  lips  and  the  eyes 
of  a  child,  saw  in  Jason  who  had  brought  the  Golden  Fleece 
out  of  Colchis  the  image  of  every  hero  she  had  heard  about  in 
stories.  Creon,  the  king,  often  brought  Jason  and  Glauce  to- 
gether, for  his  hope  was  that  the  hero  would  wed  his  daughter 
and  stay  in  Corinth  and  strengthen  his  kingdom.  He  thought 
that  Medea,  that  strange  woman,  could  not  keep  a  companion- 
ship with  Jason. 

Two  were  walking  in  the  king's  garden,  and  they  were  Jason 
and  Glauce.  A  shadow  fell  betwen  them,  and  when  Jason 
looked  up  he  saw  Medea's  dragon  car.  Down  flew  the  dragons, 
and  Medea  came  from  the  car  and  stood  between  Jason  and 
the  princess.  Angrily  she  spoke  to  him.  "I  have  made  the 
kingdom  ready  for  your  return,"  she  said,  "but  if  you  would 
go  there  you  must  first  let  me  deal  in  my  own  way  with  this 
pretty  maiden."  And  so  fiercely  did  Medea  look  upon  her  that 
Glauce  shrank  back  and  clung  to  Jason  for  protection.  "O, 
Jason,"  she  cried,  "thou  didst  say  that  I  am  such  a  one  as  thou 
didst  dream  of  when  in  the  forest  with  Chiron,  before  the  adven- 
ture of  the  Golden  Fleece  drew  thee  away  from  the  Grecian 
lands.  Oh,  save  me  now  from  the  power  of  her  who  comes  in 
the  dragon  car."  And  Jason  said:  "I  said  all  that  thou  hast 
said,  and  I  will  protect  thee,  0  Glauce." 

And  then  Medea  thought  of  the  king's  house  she  had  left  for 
Jason,  and  of  the  brother  whom  she  had  let  be  slain,  and  of  the 
plot  she  had  carried  out  to  bring  Jason  back  to  Iolcus,  and  a 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  287 

great  fury  came  over  her.  In  her  hand  she  took  foam  from  the 
jaws  of  the  dragons,  and  she  cast  the  foam  upon  Glauce,  and 
the  princess  fell  back  into  the  arms  of  Jason  with  the  dragon 
foam  burning  into  her. 

Then,  seeing  in  his  eyes  that  he  had  forgotten  all  that  he 
owed  to  her  —  the  winning  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  the  safety 
of  Argo,  and  the  destruction  of  the  power  of  King  Pelias  — 
seeing  in  his  eyes  that  Jason  had  forgotten  all  this,  Medea  went 
into  her  dragon-borne  car  and  spoke  the  words  that  made  the 
scaly  dragons  bear  her  aloft.  She  flew  from  Corinth,  leaving 
Jason  in  King  Creon's  garden  with  Glauce  dying  in  his  arms. 
He  lifted  her  up  and  laid  her  upon  a  bed,  but  even  as  her  friends 
came  around  her  the  daughter  of  King  Creon  died. 


288 


THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE 


ND  Jason?  For  long  he  stayed  in 
Corinth,  a  famous  man  indeed,  but  one 
sorrowful  and  alone.  But  again  there 
grew  in  him  the  desire  to  rule  and  to  have 
possessions.  He  called  around  him  again 
the  men  whose  home  was  in  Iolcus  — 
those  who  had  followed  him  as  bright-eyed 
youths  when  he  first  proclaimed  his  purpose  of  winning  the  Fleece 
of  Gold.  He  called  them  around  him,  and  he  led  them  on  board 
the  Argo.  Once  more  they  lifted  sails,  and  once  more  they  took 
the  Argo  into  the  open  sea. 

Toward  Iolcus  they  sailed;  their  passage  was  fortunate,  and 
in  a  short  time  they  brought  the  Argo  safely  into  the  harbor 
of  Pagasae.  Oh,  happy  were  the  crowds  that  came  thronging 
to  see  the  ship  that  had  the  famous  Fleece  of  Gold  upon  her 
masthead,  and  green  and  sweet  smelling  were  the  garlands  that 
the  people  brought  to  wreathe  the  heads  of  Jason  and  his  com- 
panions! Jason  looked  upon  the  throngs,  and  he  thought  that 
much  had  gone  from  him,  but  he  thought  that  whatever  else 
had  gone  something  remained  to  him  —  to  be  a  king  and  a 
great  ruler  over  a  people. 

And  so  Jason  came  back  to  Iolcus.  The  Argo  he  made  a 
blazing  pile  of  in  sacrifice  to  Poseidon,  the  god  of  the  sea.  The 
Golden  Fleece  he  hung  in  the  temple  of  the  gods.  Then  he  took 
up  the  rule  of  the  kingdom  that  Cretheus  had  founded,  and  he 
became  the  greatest  of  the  kings  of  Greece. 


THE  HEROES  OF  THE  QUEST  289 

And  to  Iolcus  there  came,  year  after  year,  young  men  who 
would  look  upon  the  gleaming  thing  that  was  hung  there  in 
the  temple  of  the  gods.  And  as  they  looked  upon  it,  young 
man  after  young  man,  the  thought  would  come  to  each  that  he 
would  make  himself  strong  enough  and  heroic  enough  to  win  for 
his  country  something  as  precious  as  Jason's  Golden  Fleece. 
And  for  all  their  lives  they  kept  in  mind  the  words  that  Jason 
had  inscribed  upon  a  pillar  that  was  placed  beside  the  Fleece 
of  Gold  —  the  words  that  Triton  spoke  to  the  Argonauts  when 
they  were  fain  to  win  their  way  out  of  the  inland  sea: — 

THAT  IS  THE  OUTLET  TO  THE  SEA,  WHERE  THE  DEEP 
WATER  LIES  UNMOVED  AND  DARK;  ON  EACH  SIDE  ROLL 
WHITE  BREAKERS  WITH  SHINING  CRESTS;  AND  THE 
WAY  BETWEEN  FOR  YOUR  PASSAGE  OUT  IS  NARROW. 
BUT  GO  LN  JOY,  AND  AS  FOR  LABOR  LET  THERE  BE  NO 
GRIEVING  THAT  LIMBS  IN  YOUTHFUL  VIGOR  SHOULD 
STDLL  TOIL. 


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